CVCHS has a new look for the new year

Students returning to Clayton Valley Charter High School after the long three-week holiday break were greeted with a science building, 2,000 freshly painted and repaired red lockers in the educational wings and a nearly complete black all-weather turf in Gonsalves Stadium.

And CVCHS operations director Pat Middendorf says more changes are on tap. One of the more significant ones doesn’t entail new facilities but rather new eyes. The school is now monitored by a three-person security staff that patrols the entire complex during all hours when school isn’t in session.

Middendorf explains that with the investment in so much new infrastructure the charter high school wants to make sure the improvements and upgrades are secured. Measure C-funded projects for Clayton Valley will also include new security cameras and more outside lighting.

The new lockers greeted the students last week. The process challenged staff to get them all assigned to students, who removed all their belongings from the school grounds before the holiday break so that every locker could be inspected, needed repairs made and then painted in a striking red color that the students helped select.

The lush new FieldTurf for the football, lacrosse and soccer teams was completed last week and a soccer game played on it last Saturday. The black turf is unique in California and features an enlarged Eagle logo at midfield. The original turf at Clayton Valley was installed in 2004. School officials point out that the black turf only adds one to three degrees to the temperature on the surface.

Gonsalves Stadium will have additional Measure C project work done through the end of summer with 500 seats added to the bleachers on each side of the field and a new snack shack that will also have men’s and women’s restrooms, alleviating the need for portapotties. A new synthetic running track will also go in following the end of the high school track and field season.

The current snack shack will be converted to storage and a room for athletic trainer Achilles Walker’s program.

The new scoreboard for Dan Della Gymnasium was delayed in manufacturing and is slated for installation after winter sports season so as not to disrupt scheduled events.

The two science labs adjacent to F Wing began being used for chemistry classes in January.

Ongoing technology upgrades include enhanced hardwired and wireless accessibility for every room plus new computer hardware being installed throughout the facility.