Students Weigh in on Campus Changes

Charlotte Catholic High School plans to renovate certain locations on campus in a $10.5 million project. This plan will renovate three areas of the school: the stadium, the commons, and the library. Additionally, the school will build a new technology center. Many Catholic students and faculty are excited about the possibilities these new renovations will bring.

The first change to Charlotte Catholic will be the replacement of grass in Keffer Stadium’s field with artificial turf. This project will cost the school $1.65 million. Some students did not like the switch. “I have never really liked turf fields, because I get painful burns from the turf every time I play rugby on them,” said sophomore Johnny Dang. 

Turf field (Credit: Charlotte Catholic High School)

However, sophomore Roman Flynn said, “I think replacing the hybrid field was a great idea, because the hybrid field was inconvenient for soccer players.” The old boundary of the soccer field extended about five feet beyond the boundary of the real-grass football field, creating uneven surfaces and injury possibilities. The new field will make it safer for soccer players with the different out-of-bounds zones.

Some students and faculty think there was a change missing in the stadium’s renovation plans. Mr. Georges coaches the track and field team and was displeased with the absence of a track in the renovation plans. “It felt frustrating to hear that we would supposedly ‘never have to walk to practice again’ during the assembly,” he said. Charlotte Catholic’s track and field team, as well as the baseball, softball, and swimming teams still must carpool to their respective practices.

The pending changes to the library and commons seem to be well-received among Charlotte Catholic students. Sophomore Dominic Thompson said, “I really like all the extra space for students that the school is putting in the new commons. It will be a great improvement for students to study and socialize. Overall, I think this is a huge positive change for students.”

Aerial field view (Credit: Charlotte Catholic High School)

Students are also excited about the new Computer, Technology, and Engineering Center. Sophomore Keiran Burton said, “I am taking Computer Programming I and want to take engineering class next year in the new building.” Keiran thinks the school’s new addition will provide more space and equipment for students to engineer. “It will be cool to see what our school does with the new space,” he said.

Sophomore Alex Quinn remarked, “While the new field house is cool, I think the money we are spending could be used to benefit other areas of the school.” The cost of constructing the field house will be $3.7 million. Sophomore Dominic Thompson added, “I think they could improve the quality of areas in the stadium such as seats in the home section rather than a field box, especially because it feels to me like a VIP box.”

Once the project receives another $8.5 million and reaches its funding goal, Charlotte Catholic will begin its new renovation plans and revamp areas of school. Students and faculty look forward to experiencing the changes on campus.