The SHS Auditorium is loved by students, teachers, and community members alike. It is used for classes, performances, guest speakers, concerts, and more. However, over years of use, it has fallen into disrepair. In the past fifty years, there have been no significant renovations made to the auditorium. Its poor conditions are a stark contrast to the many other modern spaces of our high school. 

The space was built in the late 1930s, and at the time, it was considered state-of-the-art. Major renovations took place in the 1980s, and in the decades following, only slight modifications were made. By 2015 it became apparent that more significant renovations were needed. The ‘cloud system,’ which was used to improve the acoustics, is now outdated as its plaster begins to deteriorate. “It’s pretty difficult for our sound to project as much as we need it to because the auditorium eats up a lot of it,” explained Sabrina Anders ’26. The house area is in desperate need of replacement, as the seats have begun to break and the carpet has started to rip. In addition, the floor needs to be poured with a fresh set of concrete. On the stage, the flooring has become cracked and splintered, making it unsafe for daily use. The rigging and lighting setups are in need of a redesign to help create a safe environment for teaching and use. Many have also expressed the importance of modifications made to the dressing rooms to create more space.

Students and faculty have advocated for these major changes explaining the importance of creating a safe, accessible, and modern space for the community. With that being said, a proposed plan for renovation has been created and approved by the Scarsdale Board of Education. This proposal encompasses most of the necessary renovations needed for the auditorium to remain safe and functional. Furthermore, the proposal works to make the auditorium a space that Scarsdale is proud of. The renovations are set to take place during the summer of 2024 and into the following school year, ending in January of 2025. For these plans to become a reality, a bond must be passed by the community. This bond proposal sets out a budget that will not exceed $4.75 million and will cover the entire cost of the renovations. 

On May 16th, the bond was voted and passed by the community. The results were an 86% approval rating from voters. The approval of the bond could not have happened without the hard work of the theater department’s students and faculty that worked effortlessly to gain acknowledgment, recognition, and support for the bill. Thanks to them, Scarsdale will have the opportunity to use a space that reflects the rest of the community. It will also give the community the chance to finally have a modern, safe, and functional auditorium.