Since returning from Spring Break, students may have noticed a fresh coat of paint in the Student Center. This new paint job is part of an ongoing plan to breathe new life into the Student Center, a space that many say has begun to show its age.

The $250,000 renovation project is the result of continued conversation among the Dean of Students, Headmaster, senior prefects, and trustees. Together, they hope to re-establish the slightly outdated space as a modern, clean, and safe area for student social activity.

The first phase of the project, completed in March, focused on more minor changes. A new ping pong table and a new pool table have been moved in, and the foosball tables have been repaired. New, brighter lights hang from the freshly painted ceiling. According to Mr. O’Donnell, the space will see more improvements during the remainder of the school year, including new furniture and a new entertainment center.

More drastic changes, however, will occur over the summer. The plans for this part of the renovation have not been finalized, but Mr. O’Donnell said that they would most likely include knocking down unnecessary walls and relocating Dory’s into the area beyond the skybridge.

With all of these modifications underway, it is probably worth stepping back and taking a look at the history of the Student Center. How outdated was the Student Center, and what prompted the administration to renovate it?

The space beyond the skybridge was once Groton’s visual arts facility. In 2001, the Dillon Art Center opened its doors, and the old art center was repurposed as an extension of the existing Student Center. Some say the change never really took hold. For some reason, this “extension” fell into a state of disrepair and disuse.

Prior to recent improvements, the space was certainly in need of a facelift. It was filled with long-defunct arcade machines and unusable table games. The pool table had cue sticks so warped that not even the pros could use them to sink a shot. That would be, of course, if they could find a ball to use. A broken Dance Dance Revolution system—à la Chuck E. Cheese’s—hadn’t seen anyone embarrass himself in ages.

If you wanted to play ping pong, you would first have to remember to bring your own net, paddles, and ball. The “theater,” once meant as an area to watch movies, had a projector screen, but no projector. As a final insult, the Student Center had assumed the part-time job of a storage facility for random items, such as set pieces to an old haunted house, which often inhabited the space.

“The more terrible shape it was in, the worse it got treated, so the more broken it became. We have just been in this vicious cycle of disuse,” said Dean of Students Michael O’Donnell, regarding the state of the Student Center at the time.

About halfway through Winter Term, the area’s black double doors were locked amid the administration’s concerns that this section of the Student Center had become a place for illicit activity.

Since no major modifications were made when the space was converted from an art facility to the Student Center, the darkrooms meant for processing photos still remain. According to Mr. O’Donnell, it has long been a struggle to keep students out of these darkrooms to prevent certain activities.

“It has been a space that has attracted individuals, but not student communities,” he said.

Student-run eateries Scudder’s and Dory’s have fared better, having maintained steady foot traffic throughout the years. However, they are still in need of repair, and perhaps, relocation.

This year, Scudder’s suffered a leak that put it out of commission for all of Fall Term. Dory’s, with its floor just a few feet below ground level, is afflicted by major flooding problems during periods of heavy rain. According to Mr. O’Donnell, keeping these spaces open and safe for students has long been an uphill battle.

So, with all of these issues having existed for years now, why hadn’t action been taken to fix them sooner? According to Mr. O’Donnell and Chief Financial Officer Arthur Diaz, there was an intention to build a new Dining Hall in the mid-2000s, and, along with it, a new student center. However, the massive Schoolhouse addition took precedence, and the Dining Hall project was shelved along with the Student Center.

At the beginning of this school year, the Student Center resurfaced as a topic of conversation. In the fall months, Mr. O’Donnell spoke with Mr. Diaz about a possible renovation of the space. Later, the four senior prefects brought up the issue at a November trustee meeting. The trustees agreed that the Student Center needed to be revitalized, and money was allocated for a renovation.

Reasons for the need of a refreshed Student Center stretched beyond obvious issues like those of aesthetics, health, flooding, and safety. Also central to the decision was the idea that a school like Groton must have a fun, relaxing space where students can unwind.

“The idea behind it was that it would benefit everyone—specifically students in the Upper School, giving them a space to gather regardless of what dorm they’re in or where they are on campus,” Hundred House Prefect Nick Barry ’16 said.

Nick also cited the Mall in Brooks House as an example of a space that fosters a good Form dynamic in the Lower School. The problem, he said, is that the Upper School has no comparable equivalent.

Mr. Diaz echoed this sentiment, speaking about his past experience at Pomfret, “I came from a school that had a really nice Student Center, and it was used throughout the day, every day, and in the evenings. It was a real gathering place.”

Hopes are high that the Student Center renovation will establish a similar gathering place for Groton students. Recent improvements have already begun to stir enthusiasm among the student body.