Commentary: Camden High School long overdue for an upgrade

By Paymon Rouhanifard

and Martha F. Wilson

Earlier this month, the New Jersey school construction agency approved a $133 million project to deconstruct the century-old Camden High School building and then erect a new facility in its place: the 21st-century school building that students deserve.

For years, thousands of students have attended school in a deteriorating building that's too cold in January and too hot in June. It's a building where the hallways flood when it rains and where tar drops from the cafeteria ceiling when it warms up.

From the outside, with the soaring tower serving as the landmark for the Castle on the Hill, the building looks much like it did when Martha F. Wilson, our board president, attended Camden High as a student from 1966 to 1970. But what is appealing on the outside - the historic façade, the consistent look over time - is problematic on the inside.

The building has not received substantial upgrades in decades - the boiler dates to the 1950s - and it's turned into an unsustainable and unacceptable situation.

That said, the decision to take down this historic building did not come easily - as worn down as it is today, this building has been home to many thousands of students and many millions of memories. Careers of many of the city's lawyers, doctors, clergy, musicians, and professional athletes all started there. Camden High School is Camden as much as it is a high school.

But it is exactly for that reason, for the future of our fair city, why we believe this decision is right and why we applaud Mayor Dana L. Redd and Assemblyman - and Camden High alumnus - Arthur Barclay for their leadership on this issue. As Barclay shared at a recent meeting of other alumni, he's not going back to high school, so this new construction isn't about him. But one-third of Camden residents are under the age of 18 - they're going to high school, and this new construction will help them.

The new Camden High School building will ultimately be home to four schools under one roof. Four small learning communities, all tied to local career fields that are growing. Right now, Camden High has two academies, each with about 300 students, with access to core academic classes in addition to career and technical education offerings. Research in small public high schools across the country has shown that these smaller environments, where students can be well-known by staff but still have access to building-wide opportunities like athletics and extra-curricular activities, lead to higher rates of graduation and college enrollment.

With this approach - and with new science labs, a mock trial room, two gymnasiums, two cafeterias, four locker rooms, and other modern features - Camden High School will reclaim its storied status in the city.

After all, once upon a time Camden High School was highly sought after by students and families. Incoming freshman classes once had more than 1,000 students each. Today, in part because of the building's poor condition, there are fewer than 600 students total in Camden High.

We can do better. We have made progress in other areas - the district-wide graduation rate is up 15 points in the last four years, to name but one example - and we can make progress when it comes to facilities, where half of the district's buildings were built before 1928.

Reconstructing Camden High School will be neither quick nor easy, but it'll be important to the young people of our city. And ultimately, it is the bond between staff and students that make up a school. Those relationships, those state championships, those moments, those will never go away, even if a brick-and-mortar building does.

It will be on the shoulders of these alumni and on the strength of that foundation that we will construct a new Camden High School building.

Paymon Rouhanifard is the superintendent of the Camden City School District. paymon.rouhanifard@camden.k12.nj.us

Martha Wilson is an alumnus of Camden High School and the board president. mfwilson@camden.k12.nj.us