Kearny High students visit CPMA construction

Young journalists from Construction Tech Academy (CTA) at Kearny High School participated in a press conference and tour marking the final phase of campus renovations and construction of a new state-of-the-art performing arts center at the Creative Performing and Media Arts Middle School (CPMA) in Clairemont.

The journalism students in Jessica Frichtel's ninth-grade English/journalism class are competing as freelance writers to have their articles on the construction at CPMA featured in the January edition of Contractor News and Views, a construction industry publication.
Construction News and View and the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of San Diego have supported construction academy since its inception.

Students received mentoring from journalists that work for Contractor News and Views so that their article, which will be viewed by over 20,000 subscribers, is high quality. The AGC Training Facility picked up the tab for the bus so that 51 students could attend the press conference and tour the job site.

During the press conference, students heard from Scott Thomason, principal of CPMA; Lee Dulgeroff, the school district's executive director of Facilities Planning and Construction; Rick Morazavi, the district's construction manager for the project; Jeff Almodovar the project superintendent for Triton Structural; and Rebecca Grijalva, the lead architect for the new Performing Arts Center at CPMA.

After the press conference, students toured the middle school to see the work that’s being done under Propositions S and Z. A new performing arts center is being constructed on the east side of the middle school campus (former Kroc MS). The new 20,600-square-feet facility will feature the following amenities:

• 400-seat theatre
• Two music classrooms
• Scene shop
• Green room
• Restrooms
• Control and ticket booths
• Support and storage spaces

The performing arts center is being done in conjunction with the school's whole-site modernization,which includes remodeling the food service facilities to include a new serving area and kiosk, remodeling the auditorium, renovating shower/locker areas, installing a new security fence and improving landscaping along the street in front of the school, and making improvements needed to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and current building codes. There will also be heating/air conditioning/ventilation upgrades, lighting improvements, technology upgrades. Construction is expected to be completed in July 2014.

For more details on bond projects at CPMA, visit https://fpcprojects.sandi.net/Pages. For information on Propositions S and Z, visit www.sandi.net/Facilities, e-mail SDUSDFacilitiesInfo@sandi.net or call 858-637-3604. Media inquiries should be directed to Cynthia Reed-Porter, facilities communications supervisor, at 619-546-3378.