Lawrence HS Auditorium Reopened After Sandy

The Lawrence School District celebrated the official reopening of the high school auditorium last Wednesday after it had been shut down for about five months due to damage from Superstorm Sandy.

The district shuttered the auditorium back in November due to mold concerns after water had seeped under the auditorium stage. The high school was fully closed on Jan. 15 after the building’s electrical system was in danger of failing.

“When we first discovered the depth of the problems at the high school, I was flustered, but [Superintendent] Gary Schall wasn’t,” said Dr. Asher Mansdorf, president of Lawrence Board of Education. “The only path he decided he could take was to do what’s right for the children.”

During a short ceremony, Schall thanked facilities director Chris Milano, who he said has worked nonstop since the storm, facilities staff members, the PTAs, the teachers, support staffers and Woodmere resident Ann DeMichael, who in her role as a legislative aide for Nassau County Legislator Howard Kopel, successfully fought LIPA to get the power back on at Lawrence High School.

“I need to thank the students. We have amazing students,” Schall said. “I hope they remember this brief time we consolidated into the middle school. We really came together as family.”

After the ribbon was cut at the doors of the auditorium, the high school advanced ensemble provided the first performance in the remodeled room, which features new carpeting and seating.

The auditorium also received some support with the school’s recent victory in NBC Smash’s Make a Musical contest, which will provide a $3,000 gift card to Lowe’s as well as rights to a musical. Fashion designer Steve Madden, a Lawrence graduate, has also pledged $3,000 to the school.