"It is so exciting for the school, and I think it brings us into a whole other phase of excitement and accomplishment of opportunities that the girls have," Paula Tennyson, Convent of the Sacred Heart board chairman, said after the event. "A lot of people have worked very hard to make this happen."
The new athletic facility is driven by the needs from of the school’s many sports teams and by an increased student population, which now numbers around 750, said Kathleen Failla, director of public relations and communications for the King Street school.
The DuBois Gymnasium, which has been home to the school's indoor sports for 24 years, will be attached by an atrium to the new athletic facility.
The athletic complex is expected to be open in September. The new 35,600-square-foot complex will include two high school basketball courts, six international squash courts, a fitness room, a dance studio, a trainer’s suite, locker rooms and offices.
A new student dining room will be constructed, which will expand the current dining area by more than 60 percent. The open area between the athletic complex and the main building will also be landscaped with a plaza between the main building and athletic center and a small amphitheater.
"I hope today that you feel the pride that all of us feel in having this wonderful building," Head of School Pamela Juan Hayes told the assembled students and staff at the end of the ceremony. "But we are most proud of who we are as a community and who we are with one another."
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