OUSD to Update Public on Massive $133 Million Project to Upgrade Fremont High School in News Conference on Wednesday
Oakland – OUSD is holding a news conference on Wednesday, October 21, to update the school community and the public at large about the progress made on a major project to revamp the Fremont High School campus. Although the construction continues, the changes have come into clear focus with the addition of a new academic building, gymnasium, athletic field with grandstands and press box, a new front entrance to the school, and many other amenities. The changes also include a totally revamped academic building. (Note: also read about the Insight Terminal Solutions Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal, here.)
The project will also address sustainability with bioretention planters which will filter rainwater before it reaches the storm drain system, additional windows and skylights that allow for more natural lighting, and even a pair of electric vehicle chargers.
Much of the $133 million project is complete, although crews are putting the finishing touches on the new features, which are expected to be completed by the end of the fall semester in December. That means the school will be ready to welcome students and staff back to campus as early as spring 2021, once conditions related to the Covid pandemic allow for in-person instruction.
Fremont High sits at the corner of Foothill Boulevard and High Street, and serves as an important pillar of the community near the Fruitvale BART Station. With its 900 students, Fremont is the top choice for high school students in the area, in part because of its robust Career and Technical Education programs, which include an advanced woodworking and carpentry shop and a celebrated media arts academy. Many graduates of these programs go on to lucrative careers in Oakland’s trades industry.
“We are excited to show the community, and especially our school community, the new Fremont High campus,” said Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell. “For more than a century, this campus has been warm and welcoming, but we have wanted to make much-needed improvements for a long time because the students and staff deserve it. Thanks to the amazing support of Oakland voters who passed Measure J, we were able to fund the transformation of this campus into a 21st century high school environment that will serve generations of Oaklanders to come.”
WHAT: Fremont High School Construction Project Update News Conference
WHEN: Noon, Wednesday, October 21
WHERE: Fremont High School, 4610 Foothill Blvd
Post based on press release from OUSD to Zennie62Media.