A new addition to Curtis has been long awaited by many and has finally become a reality after years of waiting and planning. Construction of the new extension is scheduled to begin in September and to end in the two following years.

The funding for this project came from the School Construction Authority’s capital plan to add more seats to the schools in Staten Island. Curtis is currently at 150% capacity and has reached a high of 170% in the past. “When they did the survey of high school seats on Staten Island the SCA agreed that they needed to add at least three hundred high school seats to the North Shore of Staten Island,” explained Dr. Curtis. “We were successful in making the case that those seats will be added to our school.”

The extension will fit with the current Neo-Gothic aspect of the old building as well as including a new gym and classrooms. This gym will allow the school to divide one of the existing gyms and create a new dance studio. Along with these changes will come new locker rooms and a new weight room. “The School Construction Authority came up with their standard for the new building and then they made some adjustments as we discussed our school needs. The school is a little bit overcrowded so we are hoping that some of these adjustments, getting those additional two large classrooms and changes to programing will lighten things up during the construction period,” stated Dr. Curtis. Accessibility was stressed in the planning of the new building, allowing new access to the library, gym, and college office for students in wheelchairs.

There will be changes to schedules in the upcoming years in order to adjust to the loss of the trailers in this spring semester. “We are coming that we will make the adjustments to scheduling by having more classes in the period one and ten slot.”

Though most are in support of the expansion of Curtis, there have been some concerns from the neighbors about what will come out of the new wing. “There are some concerns about preserving the historical pieces of the building when they do the excavation the stone retaining wall where the trailers are will have to be taken down.” The increase of the school’s population and the noise that comes with it is also a common concern among the neighbors. “There is also some concern that our students will be more disruptive in the neighborhood. I would like to use this opportunity to challenge our students to not live up to many stereotypes. I don’t believe our students will be disruptive.”

The construction of the new wing is scheduled to finish by 2017 but it is predicted that the additions that are needed for any connections with the current buildings will take at least an additional two years.