After years of construction, HPHS celebrated the completion of its campus modernization with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by students, families, district officials and community members.
The modernization project brought new and upgraded spaces to the campus, including a new gymnasium, swimming pool, and classrooms.
The campus also received new tennis, basketball, and softball facilities, giving students more opportunities to participate in athletics and other activities.
In addition, Principal Garibaldi said the modernization included rooms specifically designed for special needs students, emergent bilingual students, and English learners also received additional support through new language labs, where students can practice learning English with two teachers working side by side.
“This project put them at the front,” Garibaldi said.
According to LAUSD superintendent, Andres Chait, the purpose of the modernization goes beyond simply having newer and more attractive facilities.
“Spaces such as the new gym and classroom can influence students’ academic performance and social performance” explained Chait during the ceremony.
“When we build these kinds of spaces it’s about that’” Chait said. “Yes we want to make sure we have a wonderful aesthetically appealing facility for you but it’s about the impact that it has on your academics, the impact that it has on your social-emotional growth.”
The new facilities are also intended to benefit students beyond the current school year. Chait encourages students to embrace the new spaces and describe the school as a “home away from home.” He said the facilities were created for current students as well as future generations who will attend HPHS.
The end of modernization was celebrated through a ceremony that included speeches from school and district officials, recognition of the people involved in the project, and a ribbon-cutting.
Principal Garibaldi welcomed guests, including district personnels, parents, students, and community members. He thanked the voters, architects, district staff, construction workers, teachers, parents, and students who contributed to or experienced the project.
Krisztina Tokes, Chief Facilities Executive at LAUSD, thanked the construction team, architects, engineers, maintenance workers, and school staff who helped complete the project. She noted that when the project began, many students currently attending HPHS were still in elementary school.
For teachers and staff who attended HPHS themselves, the changes to the campus are especially noticeable. Mr. Reed, who attended HPHS as a student before returning to the school as a teacher and basketball coach, said the “modernization shows how much the school has changed over the years.”
Reed said the campus looked very different when he was a student.
“Belgrave court used to be a street that ran through the area, and the school did not have fences surrounding the campus.” Reed said.
Despite the changes, Reed said, the modernization has made a positive impact on the school.
“I think it’s good to see how much the school has progressed over the years in regards to making changes,” Mr. Reed said. “To have a new gym here at the school and the opportunity to use that facility is tremendous. I look forward to seeing many, many more good things in the future.”
Coach Vince, another HPHS alumni, also said the modernization has changed the overall appearance of the campus.
“Seeing it from a different perspective when I graduated, so now it’s made it very different, very more open and looks more like a college campus,” Vince said.
The modernization began with community support and the decision to invest in the school.
Karla Griego, who spoke at the ceremony, explained that projects like HPHS modernization depended on community members voting to approve the funding.
“This is an example of what we need to do across the district,” Griego said. “We need the support of the community because these projects only happen if the community votes for this to happen.”
Griego also emphasized the importance of showing the community how the money is being used to benefit students.
“We have to showcase this so that everybody sees how their tax dollars are being spent for our students now and also for the futute,” she said.
The ceremony marked the end of that long process. For the HPHS community, the modernization provides new spaces for current students while creating facilities for generations of students to come.
By Jasmine Prado, News Editor