The SHS Building Committee is hard at work analyzing the essential needs and requirements for an improved high school for the city. — Photo by Sal Ghamo

By Sal Ghamo

The SHS Building Committee gathered on Monday, May 9 to discuss the next steps in the renovation or rebuilding process. Tony Pierantozzi, Former Superintendent of Schools in Somerville and Chairman of the SHS Building Committee, recently gave a tour concerning a variety of physical issues currently afflicting the Somerville High School building. The May 9 meeting recapped some of these problems and the tour did a good job explaining why a metamorphosis for the SHS building is crucial.

Pierantozzi highlighted some of the antiquated characteristics plaguing the SHS building: the extremely long hallways, outdated heating systems, a renovated auditorium with compromised sight lines, as well as a lack of stage functionality (inadequate acoustics), and a main entrance that dates back to 1895.

Pierantozzi said, “One of the issues we are dealing with is how large an auditorium is necessary for Somerville High School, but in addition the question is, how large an auditorium does the city need for some of its activities? Somerville High School is not only a high school, it’s not only a school, it’s not only an educational facility, it is a community center and is used by many people for many different activities.” He also talked about some of the accessibility issues for people with limited mobility.

Pierantozzi continued to review a few more obstacles for students and staff in Somerville High School. “Like many of the programs here at Somerville High School, the art program is in an outstanding room, but as we pan around the room you can see that this room is not built for art. It has an absence of storage space and it is extraordinarily congested.” Pierantozzi stated. Somerville High School has added programs over the years, but the building is not designed to house those programs. One example of this that Pierantozzi presented is the clay throwing machines that are kept in a very compact room that is not necessarily a room primarily used for clay.

The building has a huge problem with air exchange, and because of this many classrooms will overheat to an unbearable degree. The stairwells were made in the early 1900’s and while they are extremely safe, this style of stairs was not meant for students to be traveling up and down. Currently, the biggest cafeteria in SHS is located underneath the auditorium and there are no windows. This kind of subterranean eating space is too crammed and chaotic during transitional periods. “In a modern 21st century school we would provide students with a more appropriate eating space, and the eating space would be placed inside the building in a place where individuals who rent the building or use it for community activities can actually use it. The cafeteria would actually be used as a multi-purpose facility,” Pierantozzi said. The plan for the new cafeteria will make the environment more suitable for students as well as more flexible for the city.

The Dental Assisting Program, which is part of the Career Vocational Technical Education Program, is an exciting addition to the Chapter 74 offerings at Somerville High School. However, the program is compromised by the space constraints. “We look forward to the time when all of the Career Vocational Technical Education spaces have modern environments to maximize the effectiveness of the instruction and the training.” Pierantozzi said. Most of the classrooms throughout the school create difficult environments for learning. The field house is a relatively new addition to the high school, except because of its sheer size and connectedness it is virtually impossible to lock down, which is potentially a security hazard. The thin rubber floor in the gym also causes knee problems for students and community members who actively make use of the facility.

Another issue with the school is that there are too many levels, making it difficult for students to travel from place to place. The media center has no air conditioning, has roofing problems, and it is located across from the band room, which creates operational issues. Pierantozzi closed the tour stating, “The newly renovated Somerville High School will be a state of the art 21st century school.”

During the May 9 meeting, Pierantozzi put things into a framework for the committee. The committee is currently in the process of completing the Feasibility study. This study is a precursor for the Schematic Design Process. The committee needs their PSR submission to contain three options for the Somerville High School renovations. The greater part of the May 9 meeting concerned reviewing these plans, which will soon be posted on the Somerville High School Building Committee’s website: http://www.somervillema.gov/highschool/.

The committee also plans to schedule a SHS meeting with the mayor in order to talk about the high priority obstacles and plans for the future. The next SHS meeting will take place at Somerville High School on May 26 at 4:30 p.m.