Money has been set aside for the school gym’s renovations for over 10 years. However, any further progress has reached a firm standstill.
Our gym has long been a topic of conversation amongst students and faculty. In our 2024 article, we mentioned inconsistent ventilation and low ceilings creating a sub-optimal learning environment, which has sparked much of the discourse surrounding renovations.
Assistant Principal of Organization, Mr. DeMartini, says that the holdup is coming from their new contractors. The money already invested for eventual renovations came from both New York city and state, each of them respectively granting one million dollars.
“If the temperature was better here it would probably be a little more enjoyable in here. If it were cold outside, they should just bring gym attire while still being prepared for school. This generation doesn’t like to sweat, but gym renovations are coming soon, with surprises,” says Physical Education teacher Mr. Habib.
“The hotter it is, the less students want to put in effort. It doesn’t affect me or the activities, because we still have to do it. The gym needs major renovations such as for the locker rooms, the floor, the ceiling, new padding, and air conditioning,” Physical Education teacher Mr. Sisane said, pointing towards the thermometer in the gymnasium that flashed 76 degrees Fahrenheit.
The school’s vision is to replace the floor boarding so there are fewer bumps, new lockers in each of the boys and girls locker rooms, replacing the AC system to alleviate the temperature problems, and converting the showers in the unused section of the boy’s locker room into a storage space.
However, even with these changes in mind, there are some things the school is unable to fix. Most notably amongst these issues is the gym’s small size; unfortunately, as Mr. Demartini stated in the last report, the school cannot lower the floor due to the equipment beneath the gym.
This has maintained a notable point of contention, since home Volleyball games cannot be played within the school due to rules dictated by the PSAL guidelines.
With this new information, it is unclear what exactly will be done regarding the school gym, but it is clear that the school administration is searching for a proper solution.
