Now that the new school year is well underway, observant students might have noticed several new changes around campus.

To get a sense of these improvements, here’s a partial list of some of the recent facility upgrades, according to Mr. Matt Winningham, La Salle’s Vice President of Finance and Operations:

• There are new water bottle fillers for students’ convenience, located in both the gym and science wing.
• The exhaust fan systems in the kitchen, and both locker rooms have been replaced. “This is probably the least exciting of the improvements but also the most expensive and necessary!” Mr. Winningham said. The school is also in the process of replacing the air unit over the boys locker room.
• New amplifiers, an auxiliary input, and upgraded microphones have been installed as part of an overall upgrade to the gym sound system. Principal Mr. Kuffner says, “The last system upgrade was about 12 years ago, so we were due for improvements!”
• The tennis courts have been completely resurfaced, and cracks have been fixed, new fences installed, and the hitting wall repaired. “Spending money to rebuild the walls and courts shows that our school respects every sports program,” tennis coach Mr. Devenney said. “Not all schools can say that.”
• A new motorized security gate leading to the back parking lot has been installed: “We replaced the old rolling gate to the back parking lot with a new, motorized gate that will make entry and exit easier for everyone and provide better control and security of the access to the back parking lot area,” Mr. Winningham said.
  
• 21st Century classroom upgrades have been made in Mrs. McDonald’s classroom, including a writable wall, new student chairs and desks, and portable white boards to allow for more flexible use of the space.
  

Also, inside the library there are four new club chairs, and four new benches were added to the hallway outside of the library. These chairs and benches were generously donated by Northwest Office Interiors, a local company owned by La Salle alumnus Stephen Weber ’80 and his daughter, Stephanie Weber London ‘03.

Finally, as most students are now aware, the money raised from the Walkathon primarily helps La Salle’s students with financial aid. However, part of that money will also be used with a goal “to create a second a la carte station in the cafeteria and extra benches around campus,” Mr. Winningham said.

All of these improvements are helping to make La Salle’s campus a more modern and enjoyable environment. Students are encouraged to check out and make use of these cool new upgrades. Let us know in the comments below about your favorite upgrade or something you wish to see around campus!