Indoor facility will provide a cafeteria, classroom, collaborative space
Change is on its way to Davis Senior High School (DSHS) within the next 12 months. On Oct. 25, a ceremony was held in which students and school administrators alike broke ground for the construction of the brand new All Student Center.
Since 2010, the student body at Davis Senior High has lacked a proper cafeteria. The multipurpose room was shut down six years ago due to black mold and various problems. In 2013, the room was finally demolished. While an area outside remained for eating, students were left exposed to the elements. During periods of rain or extreme heat, those who didn’t have the means to leave the campus during lunch were left to eat in the hallways.
Students took notice and began to advocate for their peers, realizing the division among students. They wanted to have an all-inclusive area for students, which is where the name for the new facility was derived. After years of hard work and collaboration with teachers, counselors and the school board, the students are finally seeing their solution come to life.
“This has been the number one issue for students and staff, you know, not having a place to gather or shelter from the weather. So, our students rallied together and put together a video and wrote stories, posted to the board, and talked to the superintendent. […] There was a lot of energy behind this […] I couldn’t be more proud of the student body for coming together for a greater cause,” said William Brown, principal of DSHS.
The estimated $7.93 million facility was largely funded from selling surplus property on Grande Avenue. In addition, there were extra funds left in the budget to help contribute to the cost.
The All Student Center will provide more than just a proper cafeteria; it will double as a gathering space for the school and the greater Davis community.
Madhavi Sunder, Davis Board of Education president and UC Davis senior associate dean for academic affairs, was eager to see the project to come to life.
“There will be learning opportunities that can emerge from this facility,” Sunder said. “It also has a classroom space, a collaboration space, it has space for our student leadership groups and all student groups, and we wanted to build in a teaching kitchen so we could […] build a more robust culinary program in the future.”
The All Student Center will be open before and after school, providing a safe environment for students to work together and community members to gather. It is expected to be completed within 12 months.
Written by: Alana Joldersma –– city@theaggie.org
