A new academic year, a new temporary school for Camden’s Eastside High students

Hundreds of Eastside High School students will return next week to a temporary location in Camden that will bring some changes while a new school is built.

At the former Alfred Cramer College Preparatory School, a few blocks away on Mickle Street, the three-story brick building will serve as the “swing space” for Eastside students for almost five years during the demolition and construction of a new high school.

The district has spent months preparing the building, which had been closed for several years.

The nearly century-old Eastside High will be replaced in the same location under a $105 million project, Superintendent Katrina McCombs announced last September. Construction is expected to begin next year.

“This project represents the next bold step in our journey towards creating a brighter future, ensuring that every child feels seen, heard, and supported,” McCombs said when making the announcement. “We’re not just building a school; we’re building a stronger, more equitable future.”

During a kickoff back-to-school fair Thursday, teachers began preparing their classrooms for students to arrive the following Friday. Because the school previously housed younger students, some facilities had to be converted to accommodate older students. Classrooms were painted, and a neighborhood cleanup was conducted.

“I don’t mind attending a new school,” said Elijah Vargas, 17, a junior. “We have to go somewhere so we can get the new building done. It’s perfect for the next generation.”

Built in 1929, Eastside had fallen into disrepair over the years. It was formerly known as Woodrow Wilson High and was one of the oldest traditional public schools in Camden.

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There have been concerns raised that the new Eastside location will not comfortably handle students. Eastside occupied a 229,000-square-foot building. It served about 486 students in grades nine through 12. The district has spent about $13 million for renovations on the temporary space, which include new smartboards, lighting, electrical upgrades, and HVAC repairs, said spokeswoman Sheena Yera.

“It looks a little small for a high school, said Mbali Mduma, 15, a sophomore. “I feel like it’s going to be a little too packed.”

Mduma, an aspiring psychologist, said she would not let the space distract her from excelling academically with “no games.” She has set her sights on attending an Ivy League or historically Black college or university.

Jose Delgado, a former Camden school board member, who toured two floors in the building, said the facility was in good shape, but believes it is not well-suited for secondary students. A high schooler “would find it claustrophobic,” he said.

The school’s multipurpose room, previously used for gym when the school housed elementary students, will be used as a cafeteria temporarily, Yera said. Students will eat in the multipurpose room and designated classrooms until a cafeteria is installed in modular trailers on the property in the spring, she said.

“They’re working around the clock,” Yera said.

The new location doesn’t have a gym for now, so students will be transported by bus to the Kroc Center and the North Camden Community Center for physical education. Yera said the city and the state have agreed to cover the rental fees.

Karen Borrelli, one of four health and physical education teachers, said the logistics for operating in the new location have not been well coordinated. She said no plans have been disclosed to staff to transport equipment for activities such as volleyball and tennis.

“They put no thought into anything,” Borrelli said. “You have to have concrete procedures in place for kids to follow.”

Yera said health classes will be conducted in students’ regular classrooms. The district is also working on an arrangement to store equipment at the locations where physical education will be held, she said.

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Kevin Waters, a longtime counselor at Eastside, said he believes students and teachers will figure out how to “make it work” in the new building.

“Anybody coming in looking for perfection in his building is disingenuous to what’s important and that’s giving our kids an education,” Waters said. “I think it’s going to be fine.”

Camden went through a similar transition when it demolished the iconic Camden High in Parkside and replaced it in 2021 with a complex that added three other high schools to the site. Camden High students were relocated during the $130 million construction.

Under state takeover since 2013, the district began working with the state to replace Eastside, its last remaining traditional high school. The Camden High complex was the first entirely new high school constructed in Camden in 100 years.

The new Eastside school is expected to open in fall 2029 and have room for 750 students. The project will be funded by New Jersey’s School Development Authority, which oversees the state’s plan to improve schools in Camden and other needy districts.