This past week, the long-awaited Alumni Commons opened at Columbia High School.
CHS Principal Frank Sanchez shared the news with local media, forwarding a post he wrote on the columbiahighschool_chs Instagram account: “Today [Monday, January 6] 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!”
CHS Alumni Commons. Photo courtesy of Frank Sanchez.
The SLAM lab provides assistance in STEM — science, technology, engineering, math — subjects during lunch periods.
The Alumni Commons project was funded through the school district’s current Long-Range Facilities Plan, which is bringing more than $185 million in improvements to every school building in the district, including additions to the elementary schools and improvements to the Underhill Sports Complex and Ritzer Field.
The Alumni Commons is located in the space formerly occupied by the CHS pool and features the original Guastavino-vaulted ceiling, similar to the famous Oyster Bar at Grand Central Terminal in New York City.
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The conversion of the space from the pool to a student commons was not without controversy. The pool was deactivated in 2016 when engineers deemed it in danger of “catastrophic” failure. 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 and that the pool would not meet modern size standards for competition.
Read more here:
- District Projects CHS ‘Alumni Commons’ to Be Completed by June 2024
- South Orange-Maplewood BOE Approves Long Range Facilities Plan by 8-0 Vote, November 20, 2018
- Maplewood to Expand Aid for Rec & Pool Fee Assistance, Continue ‘Swim Lessons for All’
Photos courtesy of CHS Principal Frank Sanchez:
Principal Frank Sanchez checking in students at Alumni Commons.
