This year, North Hollywood High School’s years-long construction project began to push up against the farm, pushing the animals into more cramped fields and forcing teachers, students, and construction workers alike to problem solve to keep the animals as comfortable as possible.

Animal Science and Horticulture teacher Mr. Lepore says that in his experience, the animals – surprisingly – responded well to construction. “So far, they’ve been pretty smooth,” Mr. Lepore states, “No big issues at all, because we’re so far away from it. This semester, their fields got rearranged a little bit, so [the fields] got a little smaller, but it’s only temporary.” Lepore also claimed that construction workers have been “very thoughtful on helping us [animal caretakers]” which has improved the construction situation for the animals and their caretakers.

Diego Navidad, vice president of Future Farmers of America (FFA) – an on-campus animal care group – expresses some concern about construction limiting space for large animals. “Right now, the cow field and the donkey and horse field have been impacted a lot by it [construction],” Navidad asserts, “because their fields have been kind of cut in half. They don’t have that much… room to move… It might make them unwell or maybe nervous sometimes due to the noise.” Although they may be more cramped or afraid, neither Navidad nor Lepore cited any major outbursts from the animals.

Mr. Medina, a project engineer who has worked with Clark Construction for the past two years, admitted some animals were nervous – “I would say that the donkeys have reacted [with] a little fright” – but said that he and Mr. Lepore are in contact to resolve any issues. Mr. Medina’s team has also been taking precautions alongside fences bordering the farm and the construction site to ensure that animals stay safe. The fences are built high enough “so that people don’t try to jump over and touch them,” and they are draped with sound-muffling blankets and windscreens that block construction from animals’ sight.

Mr. Medina says that by next year, the bungalows that currently border the farm will be demolished and replaced with two new corrals. These corrals will lie near the new baseball field. Mr. Lepore will use this space for the donkeys and the cow, and he wants new trees to shade the animals from the incessant SoCal sun.

To keep up the momentum of the farm’s impending makeover, students can also join FFA to support the farm and its animals. Navidad is concerned because outside of the Animal Science and Horticulture classes, “not many people know what the FFA organization is,” which may limit the North Hollywood FFA chapter’s ability to expand its resources. For instance, more funding could go towards “fields and even new tools or brand new animals,” according to Navidad. Expanding the FFA could help the animals’ caretakers make the most of the farm’s incoming revamp.

For now, though, despite construction hassles and the small scale of the FFA, the animals themselves are “easily secured and safe,” according to Mr. Lepore. Give or take a little stress, the animals have maintained a high quality of life, which is the top priority for their caretakers. As Navidad says, “the well-being of our animals is the most important thing that we have here in our Ag[riculture] program.”