Students of Nu’uuli Vocational Technical High School voiced their frustrations over lack of a gymnasium in a wave this morning.
The school’s government class was exercising their first amendment rights: freedom of speech
At the start of the class activity only 50 students were participating but by the end of the wave. more than 100 students came to support their peers.
Students who talked with KHJ News said their high school has been around for 30 years but is the only public school without a gymnasium. She said even “the private schools have their own gym”.
Principal Tupa’i Rodney Atafua said it is not really a protest but a friendly wave by the Nuuuli high school government class.
He tells KHJ News, he never fails to mention the need for a school gymnasium in his monthly reports.
Tupa’i is grateful for Nu’uuli Representative Lauaitu Maluia’s efforts in persuading the Fono to approve funds to build a gymnasium for Nuuuli Vocational High school.
During the Fy2017 budget hearings, Lauaitu, a former teacher of Nuuuli Votech asked for $300,000 to construct a gym for Votech, a move that’s welcomed by students and parents of the trade school.
The school’s sports teams and coaches struggle because their school doesn’t have a gym.
Most of the time the volleyball team uses the Lions Park volleyball field for their practices.
But the public also want to use the field and this creates a conflict in the team’s training schedule.
Nu’uuli Vo Tech’s basketball team practices at the Kanana-fou Gym but the church school has priority so the team usually uses the small cement pavement on campus.
The coaches are frustrated because they can only do so much but when the facilities are not open to them they cancel training and the spell of no training can stretch over a long period of time.
One Nu’uuli Vo-Tech student who took part in the wave said, “I hope our cry will be heard because we are desperate for a gym.”
