Jackhammers, bulldozers and backhoes.
That's what will greet students at Martinsville High School when school starts next Monday.
It's loud and definitely not easy on the eye."They're going to wonder what happened to their school probably. You know they've torn it all to pieces," said the school district's project manager.
Literally gutting parts of the Martinsville High School is necessary progress.
"We're extremely excited and we're thankful for being able to add all these renovations to the school," said Martinsville High School Principal Aji Dixon.
Seeing danger signs will be the new norm when students come back next week.
It's not the most ideal welcome.
"As technology changes we have tried to put it together where we can adapt as times change and then make spaces that will teach those very important skills that employers tell us that students need," said Martinsville Schools Superintendent Pamela Heath.
Construction crews say Martinsville High School won't look the same. Their biggest task is bringing the science department into the 21st century.
This dirt floor scattered with pipes and beams is the foundation for high tech classrooms.
"For example a physics classroom is going to look different from a chemistry classroom and a biology classroom because of the functionality of each classroom and some of the different things that they will need," Dixon said.
A former courtyard at the front of the school will now house a new main office.
The nearly $9.5 million project could be finished by the start of next school year.
That means constant noise will stick around for a while.
"Noise wise I know they're going to be very careful and of course we're going to take that into consideration as we move forward. We've tried to anticipate all that and plan around it as much as we can," Heath said.
