After facing initial approval issues and nine months of construction, the gym has seen significant progress and is on track to finish by August 2025, according to Associate Superintendent and Chief Business Officer Yancy Hawkins.
Hawkins also said current construction is on schedule to meet the allocated $40 million budget, which covers construction and furniture costs, but not any additional equipment upgrades.
Because the budget didn’t allocate for new equipment, Burlingame administration originally planned on reusing the existing equipment. But upon further consideration, Principal Jen Fong reached out to the Parents Group to fundraise for updated equipment, which prompted the creation of the BHS Gym Campaign, led by campaign chair Meredith Thacker.
“The plan for the gym when it was being thought about was they would take out everything from the inside, like scorers’ tables and team chairs and weights for the weight room and the AV system, and then we would take all that equipment out of storage and then put it back in the brand new gym,” Thacker said. “And when principal Fong became aware of this, she thought, ‘That’s not ideal. We’re going to have a brand new gym. It would be great to have updated equipment for our students and for the broader Burlingame community.’”
The ‘BHS Gym Campaign’ hopes to raise one million dollars to purchase new weights, an updated sound system, a scorer’s table, mirrors for the dance room, wrestling mats, and an outdoor shade structure. Through the quiet phase funded by transformative donors, the campaign had already raised $500 thousand, half of their initial funding goal. The campaign opened the fundraiser to the public on March 24, and has raised 600 thousand dollars as of April 8.
Although the campaign will replace old equipment, Thacker said some of it will be repurposed for use in different parts of the new gym space.
“Outside of the new weight room, they’re going to have doors that will open up to a shade structure covered patio area, and they’re going to put [the old] weight equipment out there so it’ll be an outdoor weight room,” Thacker said.
Junior wrestler Miles Davis, who currently travels to Mills High School to use their gym facilities for practice and training, looks forward to the equipment upgrades at Burlingame and believes they will benefit all sports.
“Compared to the equipment we would use at Mills, it’s definitely going to be an improvement for just our overall endurance,” Davis said. “It’s going to be heated, we’re going to have hard practices, because it’s going to be in a more specific room. Not only is it going to be good for wrestling, but it’s going to be good for all of the sports, like volleyball and basketball, and it’s just going to be really good for the culture of our school, with rallies, and other events that happen.”
Beyond the amenities, the new equipment and refurnished gym are expected to provide more opportunities and resources for students and the entire community.
“Burlingame High School’s gym is used by all students,” Thacker said. “That is one thing that a lot of people that I’ve talked to: It’s not just a place for athletes, it’s a place for rainy day lunches, it’s a place that all students will have PE class, it’s a place for dances, it’s a place for pep rallies, it’s a place for robotics competitions. I could keep going on and on.”
