Nora Walkiewicz (286)

Sports have been proven time and time again to improve mental and physical health, as well as communication, cooperation, and teamwork skills. Amongst Central’s student body, the sports community makes up a large sum of students’ extracurricular involvements. We have over 30 sports teams ranging from bowling to soccer. Running all of these public high school sports teams in a city is complicated, but despite this, many students receive sports scholarships and offers for college. 

A majority of Central’s sports equipment and facilities are funded/maintained by the individual teams. During the school year, it’s common to see a bake sale hosted by one of the teams in the second-floor alcove.  In addition, alumni also contribute to Central’s athletic programs in various ways. Most recently, alumni organized the renovation and dedication of new gym flooring to honor Frank Greco (228) and Art McNally. 

Although Central’s community works hard to raise funds for our sports teams, our facilities are not practical or even safe. Many of our teams are forced to share practice fields, while the fields themselves have dangerous divots and unkempt grass. When talking with a member of the Cross Country, Indoor, and Outdoor Track teams, Sabina Serrano-Martinez (286), she spoke about loving being a student-athlete because of all of the bonds and connections she’s made. 

The track teams however have a complicated practice situation. For the warmer months, the teams use the “track” around the football field which is made out of gravel, and in the event of rain can’t be used at all due to flooding. In the winter, however, the teams must use the school’s basement hallways, which don’t provide enough space for the size of the team or for any running. Otherwise, they bear the cold and use the surrounding campus such as the parking lot. Sabina says that although “they are not very practical, they get the job done.” 

The track is just one example of the outdated facilities in Central, along with some teams who do not even have a home area to practice in. These outdated and unsafe spaces have not gone unnoticed. Last spring, in partnership with the athletic department, an alumnus from the 228th class, and Mr. Drayton, our Athletic Director, launched the Central High Athletic Facilities Initiative. This initiative has recognized the demands and changes needed. Some of these updates seem to come with Central’s long-planned expansion project, which shows new tennis courts and other outdoor renovations. Hopefully, we start to see more of these changes in the coming years as the expansion becomes more solidified.