Feb. 4, 2023
By Justin Mayewski
Staff Writer
The past year has been a significant one for upgrades at the high school.
Over the summer, air conditioners were installed in classrooms, the first floor got new flooring, water fountains were updated, six Promethean Boards were added and a mantrap was installed at the student entrance.
Updates continued into the school year with the hallways on the first floor being repainted, a welcome mural and programmable LED board being installed and the track and football field being replaced.
With these projects complete, students are hoping the gym locker rooms will also get a makeover.
Principal Ms. Vuono said the locker rooms have not had any major updates in a long time.
“That was definitely prior to me being principal. I’ve been principal for eight years,” Vuono said. “Unfortunately, the locker rooms are ones that keep getting pushed back because it’s going to be such a big project.”
She said when the locker rooms are updated, they should be redesigned to accommodate a growing student population.
“What you always want to do is plan for more, so the current setup right now just doesn’t work,” Vuono said. “The way I see it, if you’re going to do it, you want to do it right.”
The district’s superintendent Mr. DeCorso said updating the locker rooms would be an expensive undertaking, as it would cost about $200,000.
DeCorso said all projects in the school district require approval from the Board of Education’s Facilities Committee.
“Ultimately, if they agree, we try to either allocate district money in the budget, or the district is starting to build capital reserve money,” DeCorso said.
He said his primary objective for the locker rooms is that they meet everyone’s needs.
“We would sit down with [athletic director] Mr. Radigan and see what the teams need and what makes the most sense,” DeCorso said. “That facility is just so dated. It’s just a matter of reworking it so it’s functional. I think there is some space that can be repurposed.”
Senior Natalia Ferrulli said her major complaint about the girls locker room is the locker size.
“They are smaller than regular lockers in our hallway. There are also people who change, so there should be room for clothes and backpacks,” Ferrulli said.
She said the bathrooms in the locker rooms are also in need of remodeling.
“The way I see it, if you’re going to do it, you want to do it right.”
“The bathrooms in the locker room are very old and not as new as the others throughout the school. The sinks are old, and the bathrooms are dirty,” Ferrulli said. “If the locker rooms and bathrooms are a place to change, then it should be a better environment for us to be in.”
Ferrulli said she still remembers her first impression of the girls locker room when she was a freshman.
“They were very old looking, and they have been the same since my sister graduated in 2013, 10 years ago,” Ferrulli said.
Sophomore Michael Longo said the lockers themselves are the primary issue.
“The worst part about the locker rooms are the lockers because they are pretty banged up and seem a little old,” Longo said.
Unlike Ferrulli, Longo does not mind the size of the lockers.
“I don’t think the lockers need to be bigger, but I do think new ones would do the trick,” Longo said.
He said from time to time, his friends discuss the fact that new lockers would be a positive change in the school.
“Even if not always needed, people always love when things are renovated, so I think that people would love to see updates in the locker rooms,” said Longo.
