On Friday, March 4 Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney and NYC Councilmember Julie Menin joined with Principal Dimitri Saliani in cutting the ribbon for a new gym at the Eleanor Roosevelt High School.
“I am so excited that Eleanor Roosevelt High Schoolers finally have a new gym, and I am thrilled to join Councilmember Menin and Principal Saliani to cut the ribbon,” said Maloney. “I was proud to lead the effort to create the Eleanor Roosevelt High School, which has exceeded everyone’s expectations for the quality of education and the enthusiasm of students seeking admission. Up until now, ERHS has had everything except a gymnasium. Exercise and recreational play are critical to keeping students healthy and active, and it is incredibly important for every student to have the opportunity to take gym. I am pleased to hear that Council Member Kallos’ efforts to increase the number of gymnasiums in Upper East Side public schools, and leadership by EHRS students who organized a petition drive resulted in a new gym at Eleanor Roosevelt High School.”
ERHS, located on the east side of Manhattan, is one of NYC’s top high schools with 500 current students. Congresswoman Maloney has been involved since the school’s beginning. In 2002 she advocated for the need for a new East Side High School. The school never housed a gym despite boasting 12 varsity sports that participate in the Public School Athletics League. For this reason, Maloney and now former Council Member Ben Kallos advocated for the School Construction Authority to build gyms for schools in the Upper East Side that did not own one.
The new $6.5 million gym was made possible by advocacy from local elected officials and ERHS students who gathered more than 5,000 signatures as part of a petition to urge the City to build a gym.
“High school athletes at Eleanor Roosevelt have won citywide championships, all without having a gym. Now thanks to the leadership of these students, a petition signed by 5,000 people, and our Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, we’re here to open a new gym,” said Kallos. “Thank you to Congresswoman Maloney for founding this school and continuing to support it all these years, to the School Construction Authority for getting it built, Councilwoman Julie Menin for getting this gym open so early in her term, Principal Dmitri Saliani whose been with the school since it started and of course the past and present students of Eleanor Roosevelt High School.”
Maloney and Kallos were encouraged to start the project by Mayor de Blasio’s announcement of a $385 million plan for the Universal Physical Education Initiative in June 2017. The city’s investment in Capital Funding plans to bring designated PE space to all schools in NYC. The construction of the ERHS gym is the product of the initiative.
“Eleanor Roosevelt High School is proud to announce the opening of our new gym space. For the past 20 years the only indoor space for students to have PE activities has been in a dance studio on-site,” said Principal Saliani. “With this new gym, ERHS students can practice and play sports such as basketball and volleyball in an appropriate space. The entire school community and the community at large will benefit greatly from this additional space dedicated to athletics and physical fitness. We thank everyone involved, from our community advocates; our graduates and school staff, elected officials, and the SCA, which has made this a reality.”
