Pelham School Officials Open Alumni Hall

Pelham school officials held a dedication ceremony for its new auditorium this evening.

The auditorium, which is named Alumni Hall, is the last phase in the district’s $24 million capital project. It cost several hundred thousand dollars to build.

Initially, the room was slated to become two classrooms. But district officials discovered during construction that the room was once a former auditorium in the 1920s.

Over the years, the district has used the space as a weight room, storage area, an office for the athletic director and a chorus room.

State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin,D-Scarsdale, provided Pelham schools with a $150,000 member item grant to help fund the project.

The auditorium seats more than 100 people and will be the location where the school board holds its public meetings from now on. The school board was holding its meetings inside the Pelham Middle School library prior to the opening of Alumni Hall.

Schools Superintendent Dennis Lauro said the room will also be used to hold distance learning programs in the future.

During the dedication, school officials unveiled a statue of Michael Schwerner, a Pelham resident and civil rights activists who was murdered in Mississippi.

Alumni Hall also houses a flag that was given to the district by Pelham town officials during last year’s . The flag was given in memory of the Pelham residents who died during the 9/11 terrorist attack.

Check back for more on this story Tuesday.

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