At the heart of the life of our school sits our gymnasium. The gym is not only the home to our boys' and girls' basketball, volleyball, cheerleading, and STEP teams, but is also our central gathering space for school assemblies, liturgies, performances and receptions. As space like this surely gets its share of the wear and tear during a typical school year.
Beginning in May 2024, discussions surrounding the possibility of replacing the aging floor began. The old floor was the original floor which was installed when the current school building was constructed in 1960. In September 2024, new gym floor was completed in time for the new school year. Along with the new floor, new bleachers and custom eagle branded chairs were also added.
“Our eagle logo was really hurting in center court, and we knew we had to do something,” said Danielle Johnson ’00, Co-Athletic Director. “The floor was starting to pick up and the decals were coming off. The bleachers were falling apart and starting to get unsafe. These renovations represent our commitment to providing the very best experience for not just our student-athletes, but all of our students.”
The new surface was installed by Atlantic Sport Floors, the same company that installed the floor at The Hill Center on the campus of St. Joseph’s University Brooklyn, Clinton Hill. Work began at the end of July with the bleachers taken apart. The floor was then pulled up, revealing the support beams and original nails from nearly 65 years ago. A plywood subfloor was laid down to ensure the floor’s evenness and alleviate dead spots.
“It’s very exciting,” said Boys’ Varsity Basketball Coach and Co-Athletic Director Dan Wiatre. “We’ve always been good at making the most of our space. This gives it a bigger feel, and the new bleachers will make the court look even bigger too. I know my guys are very excited to get back into the gym.”
“For the majority of the population, your sight is your dominant sense, so when you come into a facility that was just redone like ours, your eyes open a little bit,” said Brian Wagner, Girls’ Varsity Basketball Coach and Assistant Principal of Operations. “This is awesome. We always talk about defending your home court. I think that’s going to take on a whole new meaning for this group of student-athletes now.”
The next time you are on Ocean Avenue, swing by and check out the new gym and cheer on the Eagles!