Venice High School Celebrates The End Of $162M Modernization Project

VENICE, CA — Venice High School officials and community members celebrated the completion of a four-year, $162 million campus modernization project Wednesday that improved and added multiple administrative buildings, sports fields and classrooms to the campus.

The project began in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic shut Los Angeles Unified School District campuses down and added general classrooms, chemistry labs, a graphic print shop, engineering and maker space labs, art and studio art classrooms and associated storage and support spaces.

Sports facilities were also added and upgraded as part of the project including a new two-building gymnasium complex, locker rooms, a weight room and an aerobics and dance space for students. The project also introduced new outdoor spaces like a resurfaced track and field, new softball and baseball fields and modern tennis and basketball hard court areas.

"I'm just so proud that we have the imagination to dream that kids deserve the space and wherewithal to take it from dream to reality," said LAUSD Deputy Chief Facilities Executive Krisztina Tokes. "That just makes my spirits soar and I hope it touches yours as well."

The Venice High School campus is more than a century old and has a constantly growing population, according to LAUSD Board Vice President Nick Melvoin. With 18 feeder schools contributing students to the large school, the new facilities will have an immense and immediate impact on the education and experience of those who attend school at VHS, students said.

Student body president and senior Hitesh Sharma recalled his first year on the campus in 2019 when most of the school was under construction. As he's preparing to graduate this year, he said he hopes these new modern, state-of-the-art facilities will inspire generations of new students.

Sharma thanked VHS administrators, teachers and support staff for all the effort put into the renovations.

"The impact you've had on the campus, the facilities and ultimately the students will be felt by many generations of Gondoliers to come," Sharma said. "You've helped ensure that future Gondoliers will embody the school motto 'rowing, not drifting.'"

Los Angeles City Councilmember Traci Park said the most important benefit of these renovations is that the students will be able to work in safe and secure environments. With sports teams that are widely considered the most talented in all of California, Park said she does not doubt that Olympic hopefuls will flourish on the upgraded fields.

Park applauded the renovation's inclusion of five classrooms for students with special needs and the dedication to making sure the campus complied with the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

"It's really important to remember that despite the similarities — and some of our differences — every student deserves to learn in an environment that is customized and suited to his or her needs," Park said.