Kicking off the new school year, students came back to find several surprising changes to Aragon High School, namely an unfinished and barren Center Court. Started over the summer, the renovations on Center Court were expected to be complete before the first week of school. However, due to delays, construction continued into the first month of school, affecting many Leadership-run events.
As part of Measure M, a district-wide bond measure to remodel and modernize high schools within the San Mateo Union High School District, Center Court received many new additions and upgrades. The main changes to Center Court were the additions of cement blocks and the pathways encircling the newly laid grass.
Regarding these changes, Principal Patricia Kurtz states, “The idea for adding the cement pathways on the grass was for the ADA, or Americans with Disabilities Act, so that people with wheelchairs could accessibly watch swim meets, water polo games, and whatnot from Center Court.”
In order to finish Center Court before the 2012-2013 school year, construction workers started the project as soon as summer vacation began. Unfortunately, due to delays, construction still went into the school year.
Plant Manager Rick Masterson explains, “We knew construction would run longer than we had wanted because we’re dealing with the soil underneath. Delays are normal though. There was a lot of bedrock underneath the school, which brought in irrigation problems and involved more digging, delaying construction for about a month.”
By the first week of school, the new sod was finally laid onto Center Court. Although construction was technically complete, Center Court was roped off-limits to test the soil and to allow the grass to set.
Originally, construction workers expected that Center Court would need approximately 120 days to set. However, after a little over a month, Center Court was unexpectedly opened early for student use.
Masterson says, “Center Court was originally supposed to set for 120 days to let everything cure and settle in. After letting the grass set a little over a month, the soil tests came back normal and up to code. So, we checked it out and saw that it didn’t hurt to let students have [Center Court] early and enjoy it.”
For the short period Center Court was unavailable, Leadership activities that originally were planned to take place there were affected.
At the beginning of the school year, upon learning that it would not have access to Center Court, Leadership was faced with tough decisions. Without a location, Leadership had to decide whether it should cut out the annual Welcome Back Dance and the Welcome Back Rally entirely or seek out new locations.
In the end, Leadership was unable to find an oncampus location for the annual Welcome Back Dance.
On the subject, Leadership Teacher Catherine Williamson states, “Since the gyms were both unavailable due to construction, there was no alternate location for the dance, and this is one dance we always hold on campus. Luckily, cancelling the Welcome Back Dance was not a huge deal for us since it is typically a smaller dance anyway.”
For the Welcome Back Rally, Leadership decided on an unexpected location—the football field. Initially worried about the student reactions and the logistics of relocating, Leadership was surprised by the positive response of the first rally.
Williamson comments, “Having Center Court unavailable for the Welcome Back Rally forced us to try the football field for a lunchtime rally. It showed us what a wonderful facility the field is.”
Now that Center Court is open, Leadership plans to return for rallies.
Williamson says, “We’ll be going back to Center Court because while the football field was a nice location, it is more convenient to have rallies on Center Court because it is right here in the middle of school. When we do our fun and games for the rallies, we’ll just have to work the blocks and walkways into the layout plan.”
As students return to Center Court during lunch, there have been mixed opinions about the new design.
“I like how the grass is all new. I think it’s a good place during lunch to just relax and take a break from sitting in class all day,” says junior Megumi Nozawa.
Regarding the quaint ambiance, Williamson states, “The landscaping is so nice and very aesthetically pleasing. It hits all the right buttons for everyone.”
While many are pleased with the design of Center Court, others find several issues with the new additions.
On the potential safety hazards, senior Vanessa Poon comments, “I feel that the changes in Center Court were a little unnecessary. I remember last year after the construction for the swimming pool, a lot of students would play Frisbee or hacky sacks. Now, with the cement floor in Center Court, it is very difficult to run and now has a higher risk of injuries.”
Sophomore Anny Tang says, “I think the concrete blocks in Center Court need more vibrant colors to enrich our school’s spirit.”
Senior Kathryn DeWitt adds, “While I do believe that it’s important that there is equal access for viewing water polo games and swim meets, I personally liked Center Court the way it was before better. The cement blocks on Center Court limit seating because when sitting on a block, it’s harder to sit in a circle and talk to friends during lunch.”
Nevertheless, while not all of Aragon has gotten used to Center Court just yet, Kurtz concludes, “We’re so fortunate to have the opportunity to enjoy and make use of a brand-new, renovated Center Court.”
