Home Education and Careers Holy Angels school in Newark winning the battle with extreme weather

Holy Angels school in Newark winning the battle with extreme weather

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Some much-needed window replacements are going on at Holy Angels school. Dialog photo/Mike Lang.

NEWARK – Some much-needed window replacements going on at Holy Angels could help the school lower its heating and air-conditioning bills when the temperatures reach extreme lows or highs, as they did in mid-July.

With the mercury nearing triple digits outside, Holy Angels principal Barbara Snively described the renovation work from the comfort of her air-conditioned office. The windows in the first-and second-grade classrooms facing Possum Park Road were being replaced for the first time since the 1970s. The previous ones were not as energy-efficient, and they were hard to open as well.

Getting the renovated media center ready for students at Holy Angels school are, from left, Ralph Colasanti, technology assistant; Colette Matsanka, technology coordinator and teacher, and Barbara Snively, principal.
Dialog photo/Mike Lang

“If we had an emergency, there’s no way a child could get out that way. We were able to acquire a grant to help us with Phase 1 of the project,” she said.

No tuition money will be used for the windows. The Crystal Trush awarded Holy Angels a grant of $175,000. It is much easier to get a grant for capital improvements than academic initiatives, she said.

“Based on the age of the windows and the conditions of them, and these new endeavors on safety and security, we were to make an impact.”

The way the windows and the 63-year-old building are designed necessitated that both the first and second floors be done at the same time. Snively expects the work, under the guidance of general contractor Joe Celano, to be done by mid-August.

“It will be a new design, and it will help us save on energy. And if we have a lockdown or fire or something, it’s another means for helping us get out of the building quickly and safely,” she said.

The other big project this summer at Holy Angels is taking place in what was once the computer lab. The new media center has new tables and window shades, and the carpet has been replaced with new flooring that is much more durable and easier to clean.

When Holy Angels opens for the school year on Sept. 3, students will return to ChromeBooks, and they should notice a lot less clutter in the room.

“It’s all wireless,” Snively said.