Amityville High School Celebrates Athletic Facility Upgrades

AMITYVILLE, NY — Amityville Memorial High School celebrated newly upgraded athletic facilities on June 8, recognizing State Assemblyman Kwani B. O’Pharrow for a $75,000 contribution that helped fund critical repairs and improvements to the school’s track and softball field.

“Sports is something that’s really important because it gives you that opportunity to be well-rounded in life,” O’Pharrow said. “It gives you that discipline, it gives you that camaraderie as a team and something that you will need when you go on further in life. I would like to thank Dr. Talbert, the Amityville school board, all the athletic teams, the directors and everyone that worked on this project to make this possible.”

District and school administrators, coaches, staff members, student-athletes, PTA members and board of education trustees gathered on a sunny morning for a special recognition ceremony honoring O’Pharrow’s support of Amityville students and the broader school community.

“We are so grateful that the assemblyman chose these students first, that they do not have to leave their senior year feeling that their school community did not rally and advocate for them to have this amazing field,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Gina Talbert said. “You have created memories that these young people will take away from this school district, that there’s a leader who cared, who stood for me, who said yes for me because I’m enough, I matter and I’m worth it.”

The upgrades were celebrated as more than a facilities improvement project. School leaders said the renovated athletic spaces will help strengthen school pride, support student achievement and provide current and future student-athletes with safe, modern places to compete.

Evan Farkas, the district’s director of athletics, physical education and health, said athletic spaces play an important role in student growth, both on and off the field.

“Our athletic facilities are more than just fields and tracks,” Farkas said. “They are places where our students learn teamwork, leadership, perseverance and pride.”

Abigail Brown, a senior varsity softball player, said the renovation of the softball field was long-awaited and will benefit more than just this year’s team.

“We would like to thank him for helping secure the funding that made the renovation of our softball field possible,” Brown said. “These improvements will not only help our current team, but also future generations of the Amityville softball players.”

Eghosa Ojo, a senior member of the track and field team, said the repairs have already made a difference for student-athletes by allowing Amityville to host home meets this season.

“These repairs allowed our team to host home meets this season, which is something we truly appreciated,” Ojo said. “Being able to compete in front of our classmates, teachers and families made this season even more special.”