Los Alamitos : Mother’s Donation Inspires High School Theater Project

Sparked by a $30,000 donation, a dream for the Los Alamitos Unified School District just may come true.

The school district has been in need of an arena for school concerts, plays, special events and large-scale testing. In the past, it made do with a multipurpose room that seats about 1,000 on folding chairs.

In a recent Board of Education meeting, Margaret Webb, whose two children graduated from Los Alamitos High School, presented the board with a check for $30,000 to help convert the multipurpose room into a theater for the high school.

“We were absolutely ecstatic about it,” Supt. Charles McCully said. “We’ve had a need for this type of facility for some time.”

Since the contribution can’t cover all the needed renovations, the school plans is planning a fund-raising campaign to with a goal of $200,000.

“It’s going to be an excellent facility, once we have it completed,” McCully said. Plans include installing state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems, carpeting, a control room and theater-style seating.

McCully has already contacted consultants, and expects a rough plan to be drawn by the end of the week. He said once funds are secured, the multipurpose room could be fully renovated in four months.

While it would be situated in the center of the high school campus, at 3591 Cerritos Ave., it would also be available to other Los Alamitos schools.

The 6,000 students in Los Alamitos Unified School District perform in about eight presentations each year. McCully said he got a “very enthusiastic response” from the high school students. “They’re just ecstatic, on cloud nine, and very anxious for it to get under way.”