The hardwood floor of the gymnasium at Marriotts Ridge High School glistened as a group of students played a game of badminton Friday.
Bright lights showed off the school?s huge mustang painted on the floor.
The condition of the gym indicated no evidence of the flooding it endured last year that resulted in almost no volleyball home games being played at the gym.
Haley Katsman, a student at the school, which opened last year with 600 ninth- and 10th-graders, told the Howard County School Board at a recent meeting a different story.
She said the volleyball team didn?t play home games because the gym floor “wasn?t ready for play.” She also said the same was true for the baseball and girls? field hockey fields.
The $45 million high school with its state-of-the-art computer, media and classrooms opened its doors in August in Marriottsville.
And Principal Pat Saunderson said administrators are working hard to make sure that one source of growing pains, its athletic facilities, are in good shape. He said an unexpected plumbing problem occurred in the gym, but it was corrected.
He also said construction crews are working to fix drainage and rebuild the discus and shot put areas on the other fields.
“The people over at central office, especially Ken Roey [director of facilities and management], have been very supportive,” Saunderson said.
Students at the school Friday had a slightly different take on the issues with the athletic facilities.
“With the gym, it was upsetting, but wedid get to play our last volleyball game there, and we won against Reservior High School,” said Marissa Graydon.
Kyle Feldman said though the baseball team played games at other schools, “the experience was good.”
Saunderson said that for the football season, more than 600 people showed up for the first fall game.
“That was quite a turnout for that game,” he said, adding that changes to the stadium?s entrance was made to accommodate large crowds.
In the next school year, Marriotts Ridge will add another class to the students who currently attend the school, bringing the total number of students to about 900 for the 2006-07 school year, said Saunderson.
