On Monday, November 3rd, the construction on Norwin’s stadium renovation began, and students brace for changes that might affect their school days and any extracurricular activities. While the stadium is the centerpiece of the new facility construction, the new theater has been in progress for some time and should hopefully be finished by the end of the year.
“We are about 2 months from completion of the Norwin High School Performing Arts Center,” Tech director, Mr. Todd Leighty, exclaimed. “We are really starting to see final finishes happening like the lobby entranceway and new doors being installed. On the inside, the ceiling and lighting work has been completed, and they are beginning to install the new flooring throughout the space. We are expecting the new seating to arrive during the first week of December, with completion of the space estimated to be mid-January.”
The most immediate change to students’ lives is the effects of the stadium construction on student driving and parking spots. Now that construction has begun on the stadium, the main parking lot for students has been affected with a loss of 51 valuable spots.
The roadway that cuts through campus and goes from the High School to the Middle School and Hillcrest has been relocated through the parking lot from the stadium, taking up the parking spaces of many students’ parking spots.
While seeming like a larger issue, those students who have lost their spots have been simply moved into new ones or the softball parking lot. That solution is only temporary because the first third of the parking passes finished on Nov. 7, so moving into the winter parking, many students will have their applications rejected due to the lack of spaces.
“The most difficult part of distributing parking passes this winter has been having to inform over 100 individuals, many of whom would significantly benefit from a pass, that we simply do not have the capacity to accommodate them,” newly appointed Vice Principal Brandon Kash said. “It’s a tough position, and we’re doing our best to be fair and transparent throughout the process.”
The issue of lack of spaces is already rearing its head with the debate between seniority and club affiliation. For example, some Junior Class Officers were denied parking passes despite holding important leadership positions in the school
“I stay after school at least one time per week,” Junior Class Officer Christian Reiter said. “On those days, and other busy weeks, it will definitely be a struggle to find a ride because both of my parents work.”
While the theater is also still undergoing construction, the project will conclude much earlier than the stadium. Theater students have missed out on using the auditorium for the fall and winter, but should be able to have one last spring play in the newly renovated theater.
The demolition of the stadiums leaves great issues for winter and spring sports.
In fact, all of the sports teams have had to remove any equipment from the stadium that they would like to keep.
Fortunately, the field house will not be demolished, so a lot of heavy equipment, such as weight machines, is in a stable place. For teams like the track team, who keep their equipment under the stadium, have to haul their equipment out.
A lot of teams now have to keep their equipment in the locker rooms, in the field house, or in the high school.
Some winter sports teams that usually use the stadium will be practicing in the High School and Hahntown. For instance, the Indoor/ Winter Track club will use the halls and ramps to run as well as the gym.
Although these are not the most ideal conditions, they still give the athletes a steady place to practice.
“Working out inside the high school is new to us,” senior indoor track athlete Alex Oestreich said. “We have got to work with what we have, and get creative.”
In the spring, some sports teams will use the East Allegheny stadium to practice. It has still not been officially established how students will get to practice, but options like student driver carpools seem to be arising, as well as potential busing to EA.
Regardless of the changes, all of the sports teams’ seasons will still go on, and the Knights will still compete at a high level. For now, all the Knights can do is their best in their respective sports and await the new castle to open its gates.
