The Antler Room renovation is almost finished and students at DeMatha are eager for the project to be complete.
The finish date of the project is estimated on May 8 but is dependent on many factors and the project could be completed earlier or later than that date.
Dr. Hurst, one of DeMatha’s assistant principals, said, “There has been enormous progress already. The floors were leveled last year, the wiring and piping is all connected in the walls, the new bathrooms are almost complete, and the expanded floor is also almost complete.”
The Antler Room renovation was supposed to start summer 2025 and be done by August, but ended up starting later on in the school year. The delay came as a result in construction delays for the Cross Center, which left engineering classes to start the year in the space where the Antler Room expansion is being built into.
The renovation consists of making the room feel more modern, adding more space to increase student capacity, and adding all new windows facing the senior parking lot that will let in lots of natural light.
The Antler Room isn’t just for lunch at DeMatha. In the past, the Antler room has been the location of bingo nights, wedding receptions, Stag nights, and many other community and school events. The new Antler Room will be able to hold more people for events and for school lunch.
DeMatha students are looking forward to having more space. Sophomore Deoz Carter says, “The cafeteria we have now is smaller and it’s harder for me and my friends to find a table, so with the new larger cafeteria it will be easier to find a table.” Students at DeMatha are also happy to have an updated cafeteria as this is where most students get to socialize and decompress during school.
