Yeyeong Chang, Hafsa Faisal, Falisha Majid
As the new school year started for Benjamin N. Cardozo High School students, things were quite different. Not only did students return to school with a new schedule, but they were also introduced to a new addition to our campus; the Annex Building.
The new Annex Building located on the Cardozo High School campus officially opened to the public on September 7, 2023 with a ribbon cutting ceremony that many staff, students, and local officials attended. New York City Public Schools Chancellor David Banks was present for the opening ceremony, along with State Senator John Liu, Councilwoman Linda Lee, and Assemblyman Ed Braunstein. In addition, Cardozo High School’s band and NJROTC program leaders, and cheerleading squad were present during the ceremony.
The new building can house over 795 seats and has 25 new, standard classrooms. It contains specialized classrooms for the specific programs at Cardozo, such as a new TV and broadcasting studio for journalism, a courtroom for the law program, several STEM labs for robotics and engineering, as well as many more. The Annex has modernized, high tech equipment such as new display boards and other devices that will provide students and the teacher a better environment for the learning. Additionally, specialized course rooms have more opportunities for students to get more hands-on experiences within their programs.
Cardozo High School’s Principal Meagan Colby said the goal was to strengthen the already great programs that the school has to offer. “Every student who comes here, we want them to have something wonderful that they can experience … So in the design of this building, we worked very hard to make sure that every program got something new,” Principal Colby stated.
The new building also works to serve the community overall. Chancellor David Banks stated at the ribbon cutting ceremony, “These buildings bring together staff, students, families, and neighbors alike. These 10 new buildings are prime to ensure that we meet the needs of these communities and families to a greater degree.”
The Annex building also serves another purpose that Cardozo High School has struggled with for years: overcrowding. The main building at Cardozo was used to house and educate more than 3,500 students. In 2019 it was reported that the school was operating at 149 percent capacity. Now, the opening of this new building is helping both staff and students alike. Many deans in the Climate and Control office claim the building is helping overcrowding, especially in the hallways. “For what I’ve seen for the last few days, being a dean in the hall, I would say hundred percent yes. Very helpful,” stated one Cardozo dean.
While there are many benefits and upsides to the new building, some students also have some struggles and issues with the new addition. With a new building to get to, some students voiced complaints about the time it takes to get from class to class if they are traveling from building to building. In addition, during poor weather conditions, many students are not happy about having to travel outside in between classes.
However, the Annex is still new, which means things are only going to get better as staff and students learn the ins and outs. “This building is new so as we are figuring it out, eventually over time we are going to even out and become easier to navigate. But because it’s new, anything that starts new has some complications, so we just have to be patient” shared a Mental Health Counselor at Cardozo High School.
The construction for the Annex originally started back in August 2019, but got delayed by COVID-19 and the pandemic shutdowns. It was about a $47.8 million contract with Arnell Construction Corp. to build the Annex overall.