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Hommocks Auditorium: A Few Weeks From Completion
by Judy Silberstein
 (October 29, 2003) Work on the
Hommocks auditorium is continuing at a furious pace this
week: the
seating,
acoustical panels, catwalks and lighting are in. Workers
were pounding
in red oak strips that sit atop the multi-layered stage flooring: cement, plastic,
foam, plywood and finally the red oak combine to create a stage flexible enough
for lectures, music, drama, and dance. The school had expected the space to be
ready by the end of October, but it will be a few extra weeks before the final
details are finished. Fittingly, the opening act will be a variety show that
will put the auditorium and the students through their paces in mid-November.
“We are very excited because of the opportunities that the new auditorium
will bring,” said Hommocks Principal Dr. Seth Weitzman. He has been checking
on the construction progress regularly and working with the PTA on program
plans.
Principal Seth Weitzman tries out the new auditorium seating. |
He described the long list of educational and cultural events set for the
rest of the year, many of which will be firsts for the school that was built
in the 1970’s without a performance space. “We have more than
two dozen events to look forward to.”
Arranging, organizing and paying for the events are two PTA committees, one
for programming and the other for fundraising. “”We have tried
to pick programs that tie in to our curriculum at Hommocks and will make learning
that much more meaningful. That was a major goal,” said PTA Cultural
Arts Co-Chair Edie Roth. “Co-Chair Diane Alexander has been an extraordinary
partner in this,” she reported.
Dr. Weitzman pointed out that the events coming to the auditorium will enhance
the curriculum, not only in the arts, but in history, social studies and other
academic areas. The students will be hearing from
Ruby Bridges, who as a six-year old in 1960 was the first African-American
child
to integrate
her
New Orleans
elementary school. Originally scheduled for October, Ms. Bridges’ keynote
address has been moved to January. Also coming in January will be Mamaroneck
authors Lee Stringer (Grand Central Winter and Sleepaway
School)
and Jennifer Fleischer (Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Keckly: The Remarkable
Story of the
Friendship
between a First Lady
and a Former Slave).
The new stage floor will get its first professional workout in December by
the Nai Ni Chen Dance Company with a performance of contemporary Chinese dance.
Another first comes in February: for the first time in many years, a Hommocks
musical will appear at its home school.
The PTA has been assembling the program list for over a year. Original construction
plans had called for the auditorium to be open in the fall of 2002, as the
last step in the major renovation and expansion of the Hommocks Middle School
begun in 2001. Dissatisfied with the quality and pace of work on the project,
the district fired its general contractor, Delcon Construction, last November.
Innovax-Pillar Construction was brought in during March to finish the job.
Now the project is nearing completion. “Hopefully in the next week to
ten days,” predicted School Board President Bob Martin. “It will
be a wonderful community asset, in addition to being a resource to be used
by the school throughout the day,” he commented. “We are planning
to invite the whole community in for special events,” said district spokesperson
Joan Rosen, who will be announcing specific dates in the near future.
“It’s so exciting to see it all come together in the end,” concluded
Dr. Weitzman.
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