The current President of the Board of Education and her three predecessors gathered at Columbia High School on Tuesday, May 27 with other South Orange-Maplewood School District officials for an official ribbon-cutting for the new Alumni Commons and Library Media Center — improvements that are part of the multi-year, district-wide $185-plus million Long Range Facilities Plan.
“I want to take a moment to acknowledge a few people,” said BOE President Nubia DuVall Wilson. “The former Board of Education members and former Presidents from the past five years who have carried the torch. We have three of those presidents in attendance today, Dr. Qawi Telesford, Kaitlin Wittleder, and Thair Joshua. Thank you for being here today to celebrate with us.”
Current and former BOE members gathered for the event. Back row: Dr. Qawi Telesford, Deirdre Brown, Thair Joshua, Will Meyer, Shayna Sackett-Gable. Front row, Regina Eckert, Nubia DuVall Wilson, Kaitlin Wittleder, Bimal Kapadia.
DuVall Wilson also lauded the work of Superintendent Jason Bing, BOE member and current Facilities chair Bill Gifford, BOE 1st VP Will Meyer, and BOE members Jeff Bennett and Liz Callahan.
“And last but not least,” she added, “a big shoutout to our Director of Facilities, Tom Giglio. He joined the District just under 4 years ago and has played a pivotal role in this crucial work.”
CHS students help cut the ribbon. Photo courtesy of SOM BOE.
DuVall Wilson said that the new media center is “more than a library; it’s a dynamic hub equipped with cutting-edge technology and resources designed to foster critical thinking, collaboration, and digital literacy–from a recording studio for podcasting to co-working spaces and a lounge for the MAC Scholars. The new Media Center has upgraded our school library’s offerings to the 21st century.”
Regarding the Alumni Commons, she said it provides, a “vibrant space with a college-like atmosphere that our upperclass students deserved” and that she is impressed by the “beautiful open concept environment” along with the guidance suite which she hopes “will draw many of our students who seek academic and emotional support, especially at a time when our teens are experiencing an unprecedented mental health crisis.”
CHS Principal Frank Sanchez receives a proclamation from the office of NJ State Senator Renee C. Burgess (D-28).
Although the ribbon-cutting took place this month, the commons have actually been in use since January. CHS Principal Frank Sanchez announced the opening with a social media post on January 6, 2025: “Today was a great day at CHS with the Alumni Commons opening for our Juniors & Seniors! Students can use Commons for SLAM lab for extra help with our amazing teachers, @achievefoundation tutoring, and to have lunch! We want to thank @somsdk12 central office, our Board of Education, and community members who supported the referendum and our vision!”
The Alumni Commons and Library Media Center are part of more than $35 million in improvements to CHS under the $185M+ Long Range Facilities Plan.
Bids totaling $34.8M were approved by the BOE in 2023 to cover the costs of renovating the former CHS pool into the student commons area, as well as renovating the library and science lab, and fixing the school’s roof and HVAC.
In 2024, the BOE approved an additional $2.56M for the Girls locker room and $1.6M for “renovations.”
An additional $5M to increase planned artificial turfing for Ritzer Field was excised from the requests in 2024 after the Board of School Estimate said it did not support the measure (other money for Ritzer field improvements had been previously approved).
The CHS pool, where the Alumni Commons is now located, was deactivated in 2016 when engineers deemed it in danger of “catastrophic” failure. In 2022, a coalition of parents organizing under the banner Save Our Kids Pool advocated for restoring the pool as an issue of swim equity and public safety. Architects argued that the renovation of the pool was too costly. An Open Public Records Act request for the estimated costs of the pool renovation by Village Green were denied at the time, with the district citing security issues.
Village Green has asked district personnel for a breakdown of costs for Alumni Commons and the Library Media Center and will update this story when that information is received.
Junior and Seniors enjoying the Alumni Commons when it opened in January 2025.
More photos of the ribbon cutting courtesy of the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education here:
Read DuVall Wilson’s full comments here:
Good morning, students, faculty, district leadership, local officials and community members who are with us today.
As President of the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education, I am honored to celebrate the opening of Columbia High School’s new Library Media Center and Alumni Commons.
I was FFT Chair during my first year on the Board (2023) and have witnessed firsthand the transformation in these spaces driven by our Long Range Facilities Plan—a commitment of over $185 million to modernize every school in our district.
The new Media Center is more than a library; it’s a dynamic hub equipped with cutting-edge technology and resources designed to foster critical thinking, collaboration, and digital literacy–from a recording studio for podcasting to co-working spaces and a lounge for the MAC Scholars. The new Media Center has upgraded our school library’s offerings to the 21st century.
The Alumni Commons now serves as a vibrant space with a college-like atmosphere that our upperclass students deserve. I was very inspired by the re-imagined space when we board members received a sneak peek tour in 2024. In addition to the beautiful open concept environment, I was very impressed with the guidance suite. I hope the suite will draw many of our students who seek academic and emotional support, especially at a time when our teens are experiencing an unprecedented mental health crisis.
I also want to take a moment to acknowledge a few people: The former board of education members and former Presidents from the past five years who have carried the torch. We have three of those presidents in attendance today, Dr. Qawi Telesford, Kaitlin Wittleder, and Thair Joshua. Thank you for being here today to celebrate with us.
This year’s FFT committee for continuing to oversee these final long range projects to ensure their timely completion, as well as plan for the next LRFP with our hard working Superintendent Mr. Bing, Chair Bill Gifford, 1st VP Will Meyer, Jeff Bennett and Liz Callahan. And last but not least, a big shoutout to our Director of Facilities, Tom Giglio. He joined the District just under 4 years ago and has played a pivotal role in this crucial work.
In closing, thank you to everyone who contributed to bringing this vision to life. Together, we are shaping a brighter future for Columbia High School and our entire community.
