(The Westfield News/MassLive) – State Sen. John Velis visited Westfield High School on Oct. 11 with a presentation check for $1,005,000 that was included in the state’s fiscal 2023 budget that was passed by the Senate and House and signed into law by the governor earlier this summer. The funds will be used to upgrade the science labs and tennis courts, and to enhance security and safety at the school.
The renovations will total $1 million, and $5,000 will be given to the Community Closet, which supports students and families by providing clothing and personal care items for anyone who needs them. WHS English teacher Jill Keenan, who runs the Community Closet, said the funds will be used to purchase a washer and dryer, among other items.
Velis said the funding was a team effort, after many conversations with Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski and Mayor Michael McCabe, asking them what was needed. He said Czaporowski talked about improvements in the science labs and he knew first-hand about the tennis courts which he played on when he attended the school in the late ’90s, and they needed work back then. He also said he never would have imagined back then the security concerns in the schools today.
“The school needs a little work. It is near to my heart, I love this community,” Velis said.
Velis added that when he found out about the Community Closet and that they make needed items available to any student, he wanted to help them also. He said programs like that can really help the mental health of students. Czaporowski said over 40% of students in Westfield are considered economically disadvantaged, a figure that he expects will go up because of the effects of inflation.
McCabe said his mantra is “once a Bomber, always a Bomber,” a reference to WHS’s sports mascot. He said he graduated before Velis and played on the same tennis courts.
“It’s cool to be able to get a phone call asking what you need,” he said of Velis.
WHS Principal Charles Jendrysik thanked Velis for the funding, which he said was needed.
“Thank you for everything you do,” Jendryik said.
“If you had told my former principal that years from now we’d be out here presenting a check for $1 million, he would have said ‘go home, you’re on something,’” Velis said, jokingly referring to longtime WHS teacher and principal Thomas Daley.