Building Committee Renovates Upper School Appearance

By Marley Fischer ‘26
    The Golda Och Academy lobby, bathrooms, and locker rooms have been newly renovated, organized by the Building Committee to add modernity and innovation to the Upper school building. 

The last update to these parts of the building was decades ago.
“The Building Committee recognized that the bathrooms were long due for an update. We pooled our resources to help the school facilitate the facelift for the entrance, bathrooms, and locker rooms,” said one committee member. 
    A noticeable difference in the entryway includes new, sleek, wooden panels and a “merch” case. New TV screens highlight the accomplishments and milestones of students and faculty. The lobby also is much more secure due to the Scanning Stations added at the entrance. 
 A big banner hung on the wall was the idea of our Head of School, Rabbi Nevins. 
He said, “I wanted us to convey our school values, especially our obligation to treat each other with love and respect. For this reason, I asked our team to design a banner with the Torah’s centrally placed verse, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.’ I want all of us to remember that beyond all the awesome achievements of our students and staff, it is our kindness that ultimately counts.” 
    The bathrooms and locker rooms are another huge part of this renovation. 
“My favorite part of the remodel is the bathroom. What used to be a dirty tiled room is now clean, bright and brings forth the colors of our school,” says sophomore Gracie Sacks. 
 The new all-gender accessibility bathroom is yet another essential addition. 
“As the world starts to evolve, our school has an obligation to evolve with it, and the all-gender facility displays that growth,” says freshman Morgan Sternthal.
Locker rooms were given new floors, lights, and a tiled wall displaying the GOA colors. 
“I remember going into other schools' locker rooms during away basketball games and wishing our locker rooms could have a modern and clean vibe like theirs. I am super happy our school was able to take initiative and redesign,'' says junior Aly Biloon. 
Now that many features of the school are renovated, students wonder, what is next? 
There are numerous classrooms and additional spaces in the school that are relatively old and in need of fixing. Students have many suggestions about improving the school and are excited to share them and see what is to come next. 
“Looking ahead, we want to continue these aesthetic renovations for the rest of the first floor and then upstairs, before considering even more substantial capital improvements in the years ahead,” said Rabbi Nevins.

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