“It has been inconvenient for 23 girls to commute to the Verona Community Center to practice when only two of us can drive,”  says VHS senior volleyball captain Julianne Sullivan, explaining how new construction has impacted student life.

The new gym at Verona High School has been under construction since the summer, and students were shocked to see that it was on the first day of school. Air Conditioning as well as heating has been installed as bleachers are in the process of being replaced.

Dealing with this inconvenience has been a minor setback to gym classes, sports teams, and other activities involving the use of the gym. However, the school is making accommodations to work around this inconvenience; now, gym classes are held only in the old gym, confining the three classes to the one gym.

“Having all three gym classes in one gym at the same time is a little difficult, but we having been taking the opportunity to go on nature walks and spending more time outside,” says PE teacher Eric McElroy.

As to how this affects the girls volleyball team, the one fall sport who plays its games indoors, Sullivan says that “It has been difficult to perform well in our opponents’ gyms because we have been practicing with a net that does not meet regulation.” The court at the Verona Community Center, where the team has been practicing indefinitely, is smaller in dimensions, and the net is lower than regulation height.

According to Athletic Director Glenn Cesa, the bleachers won’t be ready for another few weeks. The girls have recently begun to play their home games in the new gym, but they have still not been able to practice in the gym. Since there are no bleachers, chairs have been set up for the fans to sit-in and cheer the team on.