An “A” for effort

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November’s expected decline in temperature is the direct opposite of the blaze of anticipation some residents have for a future project. Plans to rebuild Audenried High School on the site of the abandoned structure at 33rd and Tasker streets continues to push forward. The project has the approval of the Philadelphia School Improvement Team, which is overseeing the plans.

Closing its doors last year, the building is awaiting demolition, said Vincent Thompson, Philadelphia School District spokesperson.

The district is opening bids "within the next month for a company to demolish the current Audenried, to remove the rubble and then to start construction on the new Audenried," he said.

While construction could begin early next year, the completion of any new school normally takes "a year-and-a-half to two years," he said.

Neighborhood concerns, including parking and security at the school, were addressed at various community meetings, said Robert Gormley Jr., vice president of the Grays Ferry Community Council.

"They ensured us that everything will be taken care of," said Gormley, who was pleased to hear the new building would be equipped with video surveillance cameras.

Gormley also made note of the three-floored building’s layout, which gives residents easier access to the gymnasium and auditorium while bypassing classrooms. This design, he said, makes it easier to hold community events at the school.

"The school will be more community friendly, which is what we were hoping for anyway," he said.

James Helman, acting president of the Committee of Concerned Citizens, said six community groups -including his – are in full support of the project. The groups are collectively known as the Grays Ferry Partnership.

The project "has about as near-unanimous support in Point Breeze and Grays Ferry as anything I can recall," he said.

The new high school is part of the five-year, $1.5 billion Capital Improvement Plan designed by the district to construct brand-new schools while upgrading existing ones, Thompson said.

While it developed the reputation of a violent and academically underperforming institution, the school district is banking on more high-tech resources to engage and enlighten Audenried’s future students, such as Internet access.

"The current building is an architectural treasure," Thompson said. "People are going to miss the building itself. But what the district has done is change the culture that was Audenried. When the building is torn down and the new building is constructed, residents of South Philly will have one of the latest state-of-the-art schools."

Former Audenried students were attending classes at the old Palumbo Elementary building, 11th and Catharine streets. Thompson said the building closed in June and students were moved to other schools throughout the city.

Once Audenried reemerges, Helman, who has supported the project since its inception, said the new facility "will compare favorably with any suburban school.

"I think it’s going to serve some badly needed educational requirements for our inner-city youth," he added.

Noting a ripple effect in her community, Claudia Sherrod, president of the Point Breeze Community Development Coalition, referred to the new construction as an impetus for brightening the minds of local youths.

"Young people will have the opportunity to attend a school of a higher caliber," she said.