LOS ALAMITOS, CA — On Tuesday, Feb. 27, Los Alamitos High School officially broke ground on the construction of its new gym, which is projected to be completed in the summer of 2025. The new gym has been in the planning stages for around five years, and it’s finally time to begin the work! 

The ability to start construction on this new gym was granted as a result of the $97 million local bond measure: Measure G, in 2018. This was voted on by members of the community in order to fund other needed construction projects for the school district. According to the Los Alamitos Unified School District (LAUSD) official website, the high school has become the number one priority as it is the only site within the district that has not yet been fully modernized.

“Looking to the future, Los Al is closely examining school facility needs and essential improvements and upgrades to maintain our tradition of academic excellence,” says the LAUSD website.

The new gym is projected to add much needed facilities to the school that will benefit Los Al’s many sports teams. As of right now, several sports teams on campus have been forced to outsource their practices to other schools/facilities or come in incredibly early or late to the school in order to practice in the gym. The new gym will include 30,000 feet more practice space and three more basketball courts (triple the amount that the current gym has).

Additionally, the new space will include five new team rooms and storage, concessions to serve the track field and gym, two sets of gendered restrooms, four single-occupancy restrooms, sports filming capabilities, AV integration, digital scoring, and a smartboard display for games. Various coaches for Los Al sports teams gave feedback on what they hoped to see for the new space and what they needed. 

“The recent thing that I was able to work [on] with [the coaches] is a much larger weight room than we currently have. I was able to get feedback from them on equipment [and] design setup,” said Assistant Principal Hyepock of Arts, Athletics, Activities, and Facilities. 

The new gym will also be used to house assemblies for students. Currently, Los Al students are forced to have two separate assemblies, as the gym can’t house the entire student body. With the new gym, there will be retractable bleachers for over 1,900 occupants, which should be able to accommodate more of the student body. 

Although the construction of the new gym will require the restriction of some walkways on campus and the obstruction of some parking spaces, the administration assures students that the effect will be minimal.

“[The construction] will impact students exactly how it is impacting them now. It’s already fenced off the way it will be until the new gym opens,” said Los Al Principal Christiana Kraus. 

At the groundbreaking ceremony itself, members of the Los Al marching band and cheer were in attendance to celebrate alongside members of the school board, Los Al’s administration, the design company for the gym, and the construction company that will be beginning work. 

“This facility will provide our students with the facilities they need to grow, not just academically, but in sportsmanship, teamwork, and leadership,” Knowland said. “We are deeply grateful to the students, staff, and the community for their support as we begin construction.”