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Greenwich Students Back Auditorium Project

Greenwich High School students filled the hall outside their auditorium with music Wednesday night as a show of support for the Music Instructional Space and Auditorium Project. Inside, the Board of Education was holding a community forum to provide information about the project and its $28.8 million price tag.

The plan has come under fire from those who argue that it is too expensive. Supporters say the existing facility’s acoustics are bad and its seating inadequate.

Headmaster Christopher Winters compared GHS to a high school with a winning football team that wanted to build a new stadium. "If you are the owner of a winning team, you probably have a much better chance of building the stadium than does a school with a losing team. But Greenwich High School's music and theater arts program is a very winning team, and it’s one that I think deserves your investment," he said.

GHS student Hale McSherry supported the project in a YouTube video expressing his concerns. "The auditorium is plagued with problems such as air flow, capacity and acoustics,” he said in the video. “Our auditorium can only host at one time 31 percent of the GHS student body, well below the state standard."

There are 860 seats in the high school’s auditorium and a school population of 2,700. Board of Education Chairman Steve Anderson said the space should hold at least half of the student body in order to meet state requirements. The new space would provide over 1,000 seats on three levels, fly space for set changes and more classroom space.

The Board of Estimate and Taxation is expected to vote on the project on March 31.

What is your opinion on the MISA project? Do you think it is too costly? Or is GHS in dire need of a new auditorium? Share your thoughts below or send them to acorbett@mainstreetconnect.us.

 

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