The Calabasas High School Alumni Association proudly donated over $100,000 to completely renovate the school’s weight room, turning it into a state-of-the-art fitness facility.

On Jan. 11 at 1:30 p.m., Calabasas High held a grand opening for the fitness center, honoring the seven CHS Alumni Association Members and All-Stars from the class of ‘93: Ari Sandel, Azadeh Hawkins, Jarett Perelmutter, Mark Warshaw, Steve Suh, Todd Wassermann and Tommy Kim. There, each alum was presented with the prestigious Golden C Award for their exemplary services to Calabasas High School.

“The gym, honestly, looked like it hadn’t been touched in 40 years – because it hadn’t,” said class of ‘93 alum Todd Wassermann. “Everything was peeling, and the equipment was terrible.”

Vice Principal Higa has always dreamt of having a fitness facility resembling a crossfit gym that the whole school, even those who are not enrolled in sports, could benefit from. After getting back in touch with his old best friend Jarett Perelmutter, a fitness guru specializing in crossfit, CHS alumni were able to come together and turn Higa’s dream into reality.

After 18 months of hard work and dedication, the original fitness room with a few weights and old machinery transformed into a fully thought-out fitness center. The design of the center was inspired by the old record boards that displayed the weight records set by past athletes from Calabasas High, and on almost every piece of equipment, there was a coyote paw print or the written words ‘calabasas’ and/or ‘coyotes.’ The new equipment includes bacterial resistant rubber flooring, power racks, barbells and weight plates, rowers, stationary bikes, dumbbells, kettlebells and a high-tech sound and media system.

While this new fitness center will be utilized primarily by the P.E. classes and sports teams, Higa hopes to initiate a fitness club that would allow students to workout out before and/or after school.

“Because students are not allowed to use the facility without adult supervision, we are looking to set aside a designated time where I, for example, could lead workouts for students before or after school hours,” said Higa. “Right now, if enough students are willing to participate, Tuesday’s at 7 a.m. is a great time for this to occur.”

In the future, the CHS Alumni Association will continue to go beyond fundraising and personal donations to play an even greater role in developing the school’s campus and activities by taking a more proactive approach toward improvements, with hopes that future Calabasas alumni will too. •