Oak Park and River Forest High School board eyes remake of arts facilities
The OPRF District 200 Board of Education members recently heard a programming report about the goals of what is known as Project 3, which if approved would include the demolition and reconstruction of the southwest portion of the building. It's the next of five phases in OPRF's Imagine plan, named after a work group of community members that met to imagine the future of the school building.
Project 3 will focus on the arts, especially music and theater. The two co-chairs of the Imagine work group, Lynn Kamenitsa, who is also a director of the Imagine Foundation, and Mike Poirier, presented the programming report to the School Board June 12. Alyson Sternquist, a project manager for the district's architectural firm, FGMA, who led the Project 2 design also spoke to the board. They all said the current facilities for arts and music in the southwest portion of the building need to be improved.
'Many are outdated, some of them are physically failing,' Kamenitsa said. 'Most of them are not accessible in the sense of ADA accessibility and many of them present health and safety concerns.'
Kamenitsa said the physical shortcomings of the current spaces impair instruction.
'The programs that use those spaces, their needs aren't met,' Kamenista said. 'The result is that there is lost instructional time, it compromises faculty's ability to deliver their curriculum and, in the case of music, to conduct state mandated student assessments.'
Kamenitsa said the space in the southwest portion of the building cannot be configured to meet current needs and standards. The report recommended new construction include new music classrooms and facilities, a Black Box theater that would mostly be used for student directed plays, some new physical education spaces including an adventure gym space, a cardio room, a trainer space, a new wrestling room and a green roof to manage stormwater runoff and designed to accommodate any future solar panels.
The current 2,180 square foot band room is much too small and was not designed for the 125 or so students that are now in the band. Sternquist said current standards call for music spaces to have 30 square feet per student which would suggest a band room of 3,750 square feet. The programming report states the current band room is undersized, has hazardous noise levels, lacks recording and digital capability and the tiered floor is not ADA compliant. The recommendation is to have a double height ceiling, to get rid of risers and to accommodate recording and digital teaching needs. The report also envisions 18 ensemble practice rooms of various sizes.
The next step in the process will be for the architectural firm FGMA to develop a conceptual design which should be ready by September. The school board voted to pay FGMA $182,500 for the conceptual design. After the board receives the conceptual design it will weigh in on what it desires and then by next spring, a detailed schematic design will be developed. School officials said the scope and cost of Project 3 cannot be determined until a schematic design is approved. Once the cost is determined the School Board will have to decide how to pay for Project 3. Work would not start until after Project 2 is completed next summer.
Project 1, which was completed in 2023, included, among other things, a new two story student commons area, 15 new classrooms, including two new science labs, eight all gender bathrooms, a new cafeteria and a renovated main entrance. Project 1 cost $42.2 million and was paid for by using cash reserves. Project 2 is being paid for by a combination of cash reserves and borrowing along with some charitable donations raised by the Imagine Foundation.
Next fall a community meeting will be held to solicit community input. Board member Tim Brandhorst said that input will be vital and suggested that at least one more community meeting be held next year.
'I hope that won't be the only opportunity for the community to tell us what they think about this project,' said Brandhorst about the one scheduled community meeting.
Brandhorst also suggested trips to other area high schools could be scheduled to show taxpayers the facilities at other schools.
Board member Josh Gertz, concerned about costs, wondered if the band and orchestra could perhaps share the same room but was told that was not realistic.
'All of these spaces are currently used all day long,' Sternquist said, noting that OPRF has robust band, orchestra and chorus programs. 'It's not realistic for band and orchestra to use the same space based on just the current curriculum.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Max Zhang shares experience of a brush with death
13 Aug - Max Zhang (aka Zhang Jin) recently revealed that he had suffered a heart attack back in April this year, an experience that was both harrowing and revealing to him. In a recent appearance on a Chinese variety show, the martial arts actor said that the incident occurred while he was traveling abroad with actress wife Ada Choi and their three kids. "I felt pain, difficulty breathing, and was covered in cold sweats. My wife was waiting in line to board the Duck Tour boat. She was about ten metres away from me. I was speechless because I felt like there was an abyss and I was falling, with no one to turn to," Max said. The actor said that the first thing he thought about was that he can't die there and leave Ada having to deal with it and to manage their children on her own. "I can't describe the feeling. I felt like I would be gone if I closed my eyes, so I just kept holding on, not wanting to collapse there. When I went back to Hong Kong for a checkup, and the doctor said, 'You could have died there.'" Max said that it was his first time having a near-death experience and that it had since changed his focus on life. He had since become more appreciative and cherished his time with his family. (Photo Source: Max IG)
Boston Globe
07-08-2025
- Boston Globe
Big drums, big sound — and a big space problem
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The only problem? It's a pretty loud oasis. Advertisement Taiko's big sound — one of the hallmarks of the art form — is also why Odaiko New England is having a tough time finding a long-term rental space where they won't annoy neighbors. In recent years, the group solved their noise issue by operating within the basement of the Regent, where the sound of their drumbeats doesn't travel outside. Juni Kobayashi, artistic and managing director of Odaiko New England, leads a 'Just Ji & Jammin' Drills' class. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff But the sound does bleed upstairs, and the new owner of the building is planning projects in the main theater space that require periods of quiet, some of which conflict with the group's class and practice schedule. He has kept the rent low, but so far he's offering the group only three-month lease extensions while he figures out if he and Odaiko New England can coexist in the building. Advertisement 'That makes it very hard for us to plan ahead, which is why we're looking for new space,' said Juni Kobayashi, the drumming group's artistic director. Odaiko is New England's oldest and largest taiko organization, and planning is a key part of bringing performances, classes, and workshops to communities across the region. From Amherst to Arlington, the group performs at festivals, schools, and companies across the state, and they've taken their show on the road at venues as far away as Ohio and Florida. For months, Kobayashi has been on the hunt for a new, ADA-compliant practice space — hopefully somewhere that's near public transportation, has ample parking, and is large enough for roughly 30 people to drum together. She's reached out to community centers, houses of worship, additional theaters, gyms, and commercial spaces, but she hasn't yet turned up a suitable location. 'Most retail or business office spaces have shared walls with other businesses,' she said, noting that the sound of the group's collective drumming can reverberate through walls and floors. 'The other challenge is that we're looking for a space that will also allow us to store our drums — and we have a lot of them.' Elaine Fong founded Odaiko New England three decades ago, after she'd been involved with a taiko group called Soh Daiko in New York City in the early 1980s. When she moved to Boston in 1991, she was surprised that the city didn't have a similar group, and figured her taiko days were over. Advertisement Juni Kobayashi (center foreground) talks to a group of players during a break from playing on Japanese Chu Daiko drums. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff Then she was contacted by a local dance company that was planning a performance to mark the 50th anniversary of Executive Order 9066: the order signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt that led to the internment of 125,000 people of Japanese ancestry during World War II. The dance group was looking for taiko drummers for the performance. They'd contacted Soh Daiko to see if they could help, and Soh Daiko suggested getting in touch with Fong. Fong pulled together a small group of local drummers for the performance. Afterward, some of the performers wanted to continue playing together, which led to the creation of Odaiko New England. 'Our first-ever practice space was in a church basement in Brookline,' she recalled. 'We practiced in the children's playroom for about four months.' Since then, the group has often struggled to find suitable locations to call home, said Fong, who stepped down as the group's artistic director in 2007 and currently serves as treasurer. 'The best place to be is an urban center, but urban centers are so dense that it's a real challenge to find a space,' she said. 'At every performance we had, I'd announce that we were a nomadic taiko — that we didn't have a home — and that if anyone had a space, they should let us know.' After one of Fong's post-performance appeals, someone reached out about a space the group could use in Woburn, the now-shuttered American Chinese Art Society. The nonprofit had a large space with an auditorium, and because there weren't any close neighbors, that location worked well for more than 20 years. But, over time, houses cropped up nearby, and noise became an issue. Since then, Odaiko New England has been at the Regent. Advertisement As the search for a new home continues, Fong is concerned about the taiko group's future. 'Odaiko New England is a very small Asian American performing arts group,' she said. 'And it can be a struggle for any small culturally specific organization, particularly in this current political climate, to survive.' Tomo Deeney, of Roslindale, drums in the 'Just Ji & Jammin' Drills' class in Arlington. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff If staying at the Regent proves unrealistic, Kobayashi has a potential backup plan — a space in Middleton that may be available. But some of the group's members aren't keen on traveling that far, and weeknight practices at that location wouldn't be able to start until 8 p.m. Kobayashi hopes to locate another space that works for everyone, but if she can't, the group might find itself without a home, which she says would be a huge loss. 'No other group in the Boston area offers what we do,' she said. 'For the performers and students, it's an activity that's musical, physical, and involves working together and being part of a community,' she added. 'Taiko really enriches the quality of people's lives.' Megan Wu, of Reading, is reflected in the mirror taking a pause, during the 'Just Ji & Jammin' Drills' class. Brian Forbis, of Cambridge, is at center. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff
USA Today
31-07-2025
- USA Today
Whoa, baby! The real story behind the adorable star of 'Fantastic Four'
Spoiler alert! We're discussing important plot points and the ending of 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' (in theaters now), so beware if you haven't seen it yet. 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' brings a superpowered quartet into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but there's an important fifth member of that group: an adorable hero baby. Directed by Matt Shakman, the newest Marvel movie is a retrofuturistic sci-fi adventure in which the Fantastic Four deal with the arrival of a world-devouring giant called Galactus (Ralph Ineson). He'll spare Earth if he can have the baby son of superhero couple Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby). The Fantastic Four choose to fight, and little Franklin (Ada Scott) becomes a key figure in the action-packed climax. Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox The MCU is famous for its top-notch casting, and finding the right baby was as significant to Shakman as choosing his other main actors. 'We knew that the baby would ultimately probably be the biggest challenge of the movie,' he says. 'Just because it's a little bit easier to pull off a Silver Surfer than it is a baby who needs to be a big part of these emotional scenes.' Filmmakers went down two different roads. Several babies were brought in for production purposes because they could only have youngsters on the set for short periods of time. (For example, they used a three-week-old infant for Sue's zero-gravity space birth.) At the same time, Shakman also needed to cast a 'hero baby,' which involve screen testing a bunch of kids, looking for the right one to be a scene partner for the A-list stars. Who is the baby in 'Fantastic Four'? They ultimately cast Ada, a little British girl who was 3 months old during filming. 'She has so much charisma,' Shakman says. 'There's so much intelligence in those eyes. Those eyes look just like Vanessa's eyes, they're kind of extraordinary in that way.' Ada's face was scanned 'extensively multiple times' so that they could build a CGI model of her to use in effects-heavy action scenes or put on top of other babies' bodies for sequences that filmed over multiple nights, like Sue's big speech outside of the Baxter Building. But the real Ada wowed Shakman in a couple of key emotional scenes. One featured just her and Pascal, as Reed Richards tells his son that he doesn't want Franklin to be like him and talks about his insecurities to the child. 'She's looking at him with such understanding but also curiosity,' the director says. Is the baby in 'Fantastic Four' CGI? The other major scene is at the end, where Franklin – who's embued with the 'Power Cosmic,' a big deal in Marvel lore – resurrects his mom after she dies in battle defeating Galactus. 'She showed up to play' that day, Shakman says of Ada. 'It was a really important moment, and Ada knew it was time to turn it on. It was kind of crazy. She seemed to understand, and I don't know how, what the scene was about. She was fully engaged with Vanessa, she was hyperfocused. Her little hands going down on the chest, that's her. The clapping after Vanessa comes back to life, that's her. That's all in camera.' Behind the camera, Shakman had plenty of help with all things baby, too. There was an assistant director whose job was to find the various babies used for filming, while production assistants 'would sometimes jump in with toys trying to get eye lines to work,' Shakman says. Plus, there was a teacher or welfare worker on the set with the babies, along with the mom, dad and/or primary caregiver. In fact, Ada's mom sometimes dressed up in Kirby's supersuit to help get shots early on during filming. By the time the movie finished, Ada "was very comfy crawling around on Vanessa,' Shakman says. And Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who played the motion-capture role of the Thing, also acted as 'an on-camera baby wrangler.' While Shakman loves working with babies, there are times when they aren't always in the best mood or dozing off or upset because they're hungry. 'But I got so lucky,' the director says. 'I had this really special baby who delivered an incredible performance and I still don't know how it happened. So I thank the movie gods for that.'
