The Sullivan West Bulldogs hosted a ribbon cutting for the grand opening of their newly-renovated Library and Media Center on the evening of Thursday, December 18 at the Lake Huntington Campus. The new resources will bring the high school into the modern era with an open-area design and new multimedia capabilities that will allow students to harness educational benefits and hone digital skills amidst a constantly evolving academic landscape.

Principal David Eggleton said, “It’s truly amazing to think that it’s December, and what took place throughout this project, and really what we’ve seen from our students and our staff already in this amazing, beautiful space.” 

Eggleton thanked Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Bressler, the Board of Education, his administrative team, volunteers, architects, and the buildings and ground team, for making the new library possible. 

“The library was a space that was inviting in the past and that students and staff wanted to be in,” Eggleton said. “But just with this new design, how bright it is, brand new furniture helps, but this is one of the highly sought-after areas on a daily basis for our students and staff.” 

Eggleton said there was a lot of buzz surrounding the center since the new renovations transformed the social workspace into a modern collegiate-style library. He described a myriad of projects the library has made possible, including regular classes now able to break into smaller groups, extracurricular clubs that utilize the space after school, foreign language studies, professional development meetings for staff, and student podcast recording complete with video capabilities. 

Bressler said, “The capital project was approved by our community in 2022. It has been a long and thoughtful journey to arrive at this moment, with early ideas, drawings, stakeholder meetings, faculty, staff and student surveys, intro surveys, summer construction, fall touchups, all bringing us here tonight. We now stand in the space that was once only imagined, thoughtfully designed to enhance student learning and keep pace with our ever-changing academic world.” 

Bressler explained the intention behind the symbolic addition of memorabilia from the era before Sullivan West was created by merging three school districts together. “Narrowsburg, Delaware Valley, and Jeffersonville-Youngsville each had their own unique cultures, rich with traditions and collective memories. Tonight, through this new Sullivan West Library space, we are intentionally making room for that history,” she said.

Before school staff and administrators cut the ribbon, Bressler said she hopes the new library will inspire students for generations to come. 

“This evening is about honoring the past, celebrating the present, and looking forward to the future,” she said.