Improving the Athletic Facilities of A-TECH
|Built in 1994, Advanced Technologies Academy is a magnet school that’s been accepting high school students from all over the Clark County area. When the school first opened, just over 500 students were enrolled and the number has been growing since. A-Tech offers courses in Architectural Drafting and Design, Business Management, Computer Science, Engineering, Graphic Design, IT Networking, Legal Studies, and Web Design & Development. With its outstanding reputation, A-Tech is attracting students from all around the Las Vegas area and several changes in the school’s history have reflected this. The school’s gym was built in 2000, as the school previously hadn’t had one and in 2002, the eastern portion of the school was added to accommodate for the growing student body.
With more and more teens becoming aware of the options available to them and their education, Advanced Technologies Academy has become larger than ever. Currently enrolling over 1100 students, A-Tech is one of the highest ranked schools in Las Vegas in terms of academics. However, the growing student body conflicts with the size of the school when it was opened. The school’s gym is quite small for a high school. Freshmen and sophomore students are required to take P.E. yet there’s hardly room for the current amount of students enrolled. Students don’t get their own lockers and freshmen are forced into a portable due to the lack of room. There’s a clear lack of privacy in a space where there should be plenty. The gym is large enough to fit a basketball court, but that’s it. The weight training room is small and poorly designed. Overall the gym needs to be fixed, expanded, and adjusted for A-Tech’s current and future needs.
One of the most obvious changes the gym with need is a size increase. An increase in size will allow for more sports and more students in it at a time. Not only that, but many events are held in the gym. School assembly and events hosted by clubs already take place in the gym, but many more events would be possible with the room. Another needed change is the expansion of the locker rooms. The locker rooms are vital to the upkeep of personal hygiene, yet the current state of the locker rooms is disappointing. Also, more lockers need to be added so each student can have their own. The field outside needs to be rearranged so that it’s more than just a grass field, but a place students can play sports. The portables outside can also be removed to make room for more gym space.