BEVERLY — The Harlem Superstars comedy basketball team will play a team of Beverly teachers at the high school field house for the fifth straight year on Friday.
But this year, the venue itself will be as much of an attraction as the game.
The event will mark the first chance for the public to get a look at the newly renovated field house, the latest and almost final phase of the $81 million high school project.
The spacious field house, which first opened its doors in the mid-1960s, has been completely redone, highlighted by a shiny new maple wood basketball court bearing the imprint of a large orange panther paw.
Students began using the field house when they returned from April vacation. It is the last major component of the high school construction project, which included the opening of the new, four-story academic wing in November and renovations to the auditorium and cafeteria.
"Every time a project gets finished, it just brings a whole new enthusiasm," Principal Sean Gallagher said. "It brings out a lot of pride."
The field house was one of the first of its kind on the North Shore when it opened in 1965. At a time when public schools were used to cramped gymnasiums, it was large enough to accommodate track meets and indoor baseball practices, not to mention concerts by the likes of Aerosmith and The Wallflowers.
Like the rest of the high school, which was in such poor condition that it nearly lost its accreditation, the field house deteriorated over the years. The roof leaked, the upstairs gym floor buckled, and the rubber basketball court and track became as hard as concrete.
The new wooden basketball floor and three-quarter-inch rubber track are the most visible improvements, along with new lighting that brightens what was a dim building. The basketball court includes an overhead scoreboard, while a new public address system has 52 speakers. Dividers that drop from the ceiling allow the field house to be divided into five separate spaces.
There are also eight new student and team locker rooms, four each for boys and girls, as well as men's and women's faculty locker rooms. There's a weight room, a cardio room with treadmills and elliptical machines, a trainer's room, athletic director's office, three classrooms, and an occupational/physical therapy room for students with special needs.
After a winter season in which the renovations forced the high school basketball and track teams to play all of their games and meets elsewhere, Athletic Director James Coffey said students are excited about the new facility.
The school's outdoor athletic venues are also being done over. There will be a new artificial turf field, a baseball field, two soccer/field hockey fields and six tennis courts. Two new softball fields and a second artificial turf field are also planned.
"We're obviously very excited," Coffey said. "When all the work is done, it's going to be a really special place."
Staff writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2675 or by email at pleighton@salemnews.com.
If You Go
What: Harlem Superstars vs. Beverly faculty dream team basketball game
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Where: Beverly High field house
Cost: $10 at the door
To benefit: Programs run by BHS Peer Leadership Club
Sister Says She Reported Brother in Patz Killing
Patz Suspect's Sister: I Went to Police in 1980s
Diplomatic Expulsions Follow Fresh Syria Report
15 Dead in Northern Italy's 5.8-magnitude Quake
Angry Birds Spreading Their Wings
Witness Describes Fla. Face-chewing Attack
Man Falls Off Crane, Dies After Police Standoff
Russia Condemns Ally Syria Over Massacre of 108
Dairy Farm Uses Chiropractor to Help Cows
Unexpected Smog in Pristine National Parks
Air Canada Plane Makes Emergency Landing
New Ticks Spread Across Southeast, Diseases Rise
Bring Your Own Tech Programs Charge Up Students
Pope's Butler Vows to Help Vatican Investigation
Mother of Allegedly Abused Girl Denies Claims
Raw Video: 19 Dead in Qatar Shopping Mall Fire
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
Raw Video: Heckler Bursts in on Blair Testimony
Japan Farmers Plant, Seek Radiation-free Rice
