Students and faculty believe that the CHS gym is in need of improvements. The gym houses 40-year-old bleachers as well as various insects living in the crevices. Parents and students are hoping the administrators will remodel the gym before it becomes dangerous for students. Athletes of indoor sports are hoping for the renovations to take place soon in order for their teams to be able to practice and play their best.

“The gym has become very run down from all this wear and tear over the years in an era of minimal maintenance,” said Jon Palarz, boys basketball coach, Honors and Advanced Placement United States History teacher. “Many elements of the gym are out of date and malfunctioning.”

Palarz believes the gym is not living up to its full potential, which could be reached with renovations. For example, the gym has heating but no air conditioning, so the CHS administration is looking into a solar-powered air conditioning system to fix the overheated gym.

Although the entire school was repainted within the last decade, the gym was not part of that renovation. Students believe that the gym also needs a fresh coat of paint. In addition, the bleachers from the 1970s do not meet all the new safety regulations. Replacing the bleachers, according to Palarz, would make students and game attendees safer and more comfortable.

“I think there is real momentum throughout our community to bring the gym facility into the modern world and take better care of it,” said Palarz.

Administration is taking an interest in remodeling the gym, and the school board recently toured the gym. Assistant Principal of Athletics Lauren Young hopes that repainting the walls and renovating the entrance to the gym will help increase school spirit and make the entire gym look modern. Administration is trying to find the perfect time to renovate in order to prevent a disruption in the practicing schedules of indoor sports teams.

“The whole community recognizes sports as the heart and soul of Calabasas High School,” said Gary Mitten, a parent volunteer of the boys basketball program. “The gym is visited by more guests of the school and utilized by more students than any other facility.”

In the future, students and administrators hope to have a functional, modern gym that can fully accommodate games, practices, pep-rallies and school dances.