New Locker Rooms are a New Beginning for Greenport

Angie Higgins

The start of the Capital Bond improvement plan has been highly anticipated by the staff, students, and community of Greenport. Since its inception and initial vote it has been on the forefront of many minds in the community and building. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic the project is forging ahead and noticeable changes are coming to the beloved building. Big changes have already begun and will continue for the foreseeable future. Parts of the Bond have already begun their execution and the new locker rooms are the starting point of a new beginning for Greenport Schools.

Both the boys and girls locker rooms have had their old lockers and flooring removed, and new state of the art lockers and flooring have taken their place. Although a locker room may not seem, at first glance, to be something that will have a large impact on the student body- it is clear that they will. These lockers will be used by both gym classes and sports teams. These new lockers not only offer a new look for Greenport, but also expanded versatility. With lockers large enough to accommodate lacrosse and field hockey sticks they offer much needed practicality and functionality for daily physical education classes, and the many sports teams that frequent the locker room.

Beyond the students, perhaps those that are most excited are members of the Physical Education Department, whose offices adjoin the locker rooms. Mrs. Manfredi, a physical education teacher in the district for 30 years, has a glowing report for the new locker rooms. When asked what are her feelings about the new locker room, Mrs.Manfredi replied, “I think they’re beautiful, they are a long time coming. It's a beautiful thing to look at when you walk in and see everything uniform, neat, and tidy.” She continued to state, “I'm looking forward to letting you guys [the students] use them for the first time ever.” Though it has taken time and effort to make this happen, the final results are wonderful.

Assistant Superintendent, Mr. Case feels that the lockers are, “Modern, clean, and new. It's really exciting to see the first product of the Capital Bond. I can't wait to see what the future improvements hold." It is clear that the new gym lockers have sparked excitement for other projects that are in the works. Also scheduled to be a part of Part A of the bond are repairs to the exterior masonry. Being that this is the beginning of the Capital Bond, it signifies a new chapter for Greenport School. This is a huge stride towards the modernization of the school that will result from the Capital Bond.

Part B of the improvement plans looks to add to, or improve much of the existing structure and its layout. This phase will include a new auxiliary gym, renovations to the shop area, a new elementary library, and many classroom and office realignments that will better serve the needs of the school in the 21st century. Each phase of the project will bring exciting new developments to the building.

There are also hints around the building that parts of project C have already started to take flight. There are many great things to come for GHS.