Norwalk High breaks ground on $40 million athletic facility

Members from the NLMUSD board of education and Norwalk High faculty break ground on a new athletic facility on Wednesday. (PHOTO BY VINCENT MEDINA)

NORWALK – Faculty and staff from Norwalk High School hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the school’s new athletic facility Wednesday afternoon.

NHS principal David Olea greeted members of the Norwalk La Mirada Unified School District board of education, students, alumni, and community members who gathered to celebrate the new 43,000-square-foot facility.

Olea explained the new gymnasium is expected to include new basketball courts, volleyball courts, wrestling and competitive dance. It will also feature modern boy’s and girls locker rooms, a weight room and a training room.

The new athletic facility will also be large enough to house the entire school for pep rallies and assemblies.

“The fact that we will have a gymnasium again to host our games and assemblies is going to be really great,” Olea said. “The big part of having a gymnasium is part of the culture for the activities that we run on campus.”

Principal Olea also acknowledged the 1960 alumni from Norwalk High School’s first graduating class, who shared fond memories of their alma mater.

Alumnus Roger Bailes met his wife (then) Pat Ennis at NHS when they were in the class of 1960, and have now been married for 62 years. They reflected on seeing their original gymnasium gone.

“It’s kind of sad, but it served its purpose when we were here,” Bailes said. “It will be good for the kids to have a new facility.”

They expressed their excitement for the new gymnasium and plan to rededicate an original banner from their time at the school to the facility once it is complete.

District superintendent John Lopez explained Norwalk High School has undergone a series of upgrades through Measure G funding, a bond initiative that aims to enhance facilities in the district. The new gymnasium is the final project to completely update the school athletic complex.

“When the Measure G bond was passed, there was a needs assessment of the facilities,” Lopez said. “Based on staff recommendations the board goes back and prioritizes what’s going to receive upgrades.”

The anticipated completion date for the gymnasium project is expected to be in the spring of 2025.