Union City Celebrates Grand Opening of long awaited High School Complex!

Officials and dignitaries gather around Union City Mayor, Brian P. Stack and Governor Jon Corzine to cut the official ribbon of the brand new Union City High School on Friday, September 26, 2009.

The man who had the vision and the determination to make it possible for the young people of Union City to study in this great academic facility, New Jersey’s Mayor Brain P. Stack, speaks at the grand opening ceremonies.

Union City commissioners Martinetti, Fernández (The Musical Comissioner), Irizarry, and Rivas pose with mayor Brian Stack and Police Chief Charles Everett at the new Union City High School on September 26, 2009.

Union City School Principal Teresita Díaz and her talented son Alex, who offered a heartfelt rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner at the Union City First event on September 25, 2009 at Schuetzen Park, with Union City School District Assistant Superintendents Gerry Caputo and Silvia Abbato.

Formerly Roosevelt Stadium, the centerpiece of Union City social life, Union City High School is now the crown jewel of what is clear will soon be remembered as the city’s Golden Age. Even taking into account the myriad other accomplishments of the Stack administration—from the humble José Martí Park to the lavish José Martí Freshman Academy, the somber 9/11 Victims’ Memorial to the exuberant Firefighters’ Memorial Park—this feat will be difficult to top, even for New Jersey’s Mayor.

The Union City High School complex will be replacing the city’s two former high schools, Union Hill and Emerson. Both schools had been suffering from overpopulation, having been built for the demands of the early 20th Century and currently serving an overflowing immigrant population. Both former high schools will now function as middle schools while the original middle school, José Martí, will function as a freshman academy. Union City High School will then only serve sophomores through graduation, and will still house about 2,000 students. “No longer will there be an uptown and a downtown Union City; there will be just one stronger, more united community,” Mayor Stack has stated. Union City High School is large enough to make some small colleges quiver under the weight of its shadow. It boasts state-of-the-art technology and 345,000 square feet of space. This space includes about 66 regular classrooms, a 21,000-sq-ft gymnasium, a 950-seat auditorium, media center, parking garage, and a recreation of Roosevelt Stadium above the school.