By Amy Ta
Staff Writer
The school will begin construction on the new stadium immediately after graduation on June 1, with renovations slated to end before the 2025 graduation ceremony. Program meetings concerning the new plans began early in the school year, where administrators discussed new features like the non-slip tracks and turf fields.
Updates include moving the tennis courts to the field behind the bleachers and repositioning the baseball field to add space for a bullpen and batting cage. There will be separate ticket booths for home and visitors and an added food stand between the baseball field and track and field.
“When we look to make improvements, we have to look at the campus as a whole,” Principal Elena Li said. “The next step is that the track area and surrounding area will be a sports complex.”
The new changes will let the school host events and league matches that they previously couldn’t due to league or CIF regulations. The new track will have the proper eight lanes, which is necessary for track and field meets.
During the stadium’s development, the football, baseball, girls and boys soccer teams will play only away games. The teams will practice at different schools or on Oak Avenue Intermediate’s fields.
The biggest change will be the new trainer’s room. Design plans moved the new trainer’s room near the stadium and baseball field, placing the student trainers closer to these games. Trainers will still use the old trainer’s room for sports games taking place near or in the gym.
The new trainer’s room will be bigger with more treatment tables to accommodate injured players. New adjustments include a sliding door and a large whiteboard for trainers to write down treatment plans for injuries.
“It’s cool that they are adding a new room,” senior trainer Abrina Lu said. “Especially since it will be bigger. It is difficult for everyone to fit inside the small trainer’s room during practice.”
Once renovations to the stadium end, the school will open it for public use. The added changes, like the non-slip tracks and turf fields, will be safer for people of all ages.
Additionally, the new revisions will allow for games to continue when it’s raining.
“Once the track is modernized with a non-slip track, it is safer for our community to run and walk on,” Li said. “We would like to then open it up to our community who had a hand in helping us make those improvements.”
While the construction costs aren’t finalized, the estimated costs are around $30 to $40 million with funding coming from the community through bonds.
Future construction projects consist of a second gym, which will allow for new sports teams and reduce competition for use of the current gym.
“There is also the desire for us to eventually get a second gym,” Li said. “We are the only school in the Rio Hondo League that only has one gym. In the grand scheme of things, we are always looking to improve our school.”