Nearly a year earlier than originally anticipated, 229 students from High School South’s orchestra carefully crammed their instruments onto the auditorium’s stage on November 17. A few moments later, they were joined by 145 of the school’s choral students for a performance of a newly composed piece, “One Song,” by Charlie Ashton, a math teacher at South. It marked the beginning of many performances to be held there in the future.##M:[more]##
The concert, celebrating the completion of the school’s new state-of-the-art auditorium — originally slated for completion in September, 2009 — was a testament to South’s growth as a school, as the newly completed facility literally seemed to already be bursting at the seams with student talent on stage.
Administrators joked that a larger stage would perhaps be the subject of a future referendum question. In addition to the choir and orchestra, the school’s marching band kicked off the celebration with a cadence into the auditorium, followed by a rendition of the national anthem, and a sneak peak at a few scenes from the school’s upcoming fall drama, “Don’t Drink the Water.”
The Marimba Quartet — featuring students Jennifer Kao, Sasha Mintz, Vicky Yu, and Elizabeth Li — performed two pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach, and were followed by the combined concert bands’ debut of their “Here Come the Pirates,” also written by Ashton.
Student artwork lined the foyer leading to the auditorium, and the school’s culinary students baked treats and offered refreshments for the occasion.
“An excellent theater such as this does not just appear,” said South Principal Charles Rudnick. “It takes a great deal of foresight, hard work, planning, and commitment by many individuals to make dreams such as this a reality.”
He thanked residents in both West Windsor and Plainsboro for their support of the referendum, approved in January, 2006. “Without your outstanding support, this magnificent facility would still be a dream,” Rudnick added. He also commended the students and staff for continuing to endure construction, noise, dust, and disruption while work on the new gym and arts center continues.
Heading into the summer, the first two phases of construction from the referendum were already complete. The first phase of construction, which included rehabilitation to the modular units at J.V.B. Wicoff and Maurice Hawk elementary schools, was completed in September, 2006, and phase two, which included a six-classroom addition at Dutch Neck Elementary, was completed in October, 2007. Work on the track and football field at High School South, which was a second question on the referendum ballot, was completed in time for the start of school last year.
Some of the construction work at South, the remaining phase, was originally slated to begin in March, 2008, but actually began in October, 2007, and because of that, things moved a lot more quickly. The renovations to South include placing partitions in the open space classroom areas, adding a new performing arts center/auditorium and a new gymnasium and auxiliary gym. The current gym will be turned into four new classrooms.
The third phase of the project also included minor changes to High School North — where one room was changed into a science room — and renovations to South’s music and art rooms.
As for the new gymnasium, construction should be completed by mid-December, while the art area should be completed by the winter break, said school board member Ellen Walsh, during the board’s meeting the next day.
Superintendent Victoria Kniewel and West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional Board of Education President Hemant Marathe also thanked the crowd and current and past board members who worked on the project and on the referendum committee. Kniewel said the new auditorium was “truly a community center in every sense of the word.”
