New Toyota Court at North High School!
November 14, 2008
North High and Toyota have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship since 1989. “We are extremely proud of our involvement with North, and continue to look for new, innovative ways to demonstrate our commitment to Torrance,” comments Tammie Kanda who is with Toyota’s corporate communications department. “As a leader in the automotive industry, Toyota believes that education is vital not only to sustaining a diverse and dynamic workforce, but also in strengthening communities and opening doors for all people.”
North High School now has a facility worthy of its student athletes. “Last year was a great year for NHS as a school and for our athletes who were able to capture several League Titles and a couple of CIF Titles. I’m proud of everyone who was a part of that success, and I am thrilled with the excitement and pride that the new court and the other facility upgrades have generated for the North High Family,” remarked North High Principal Dr. Grant Litfin. He continued, “When we approached Toyota with a wish list of projects we hoped to work on in upcoming years they immediately jumped on board with sponsoring the court. We came up with drawings, bid the project, and many different NHS teachers, coaches, and administrators gave their time and energy all summer long to oversee the construction - making sure that this facility was something special. With donations funding the projects and a much needed bond in the near future, I felt strongly that we needed to give the community an example of what we as a site can do when we’re given a chance to do something great for our kids. Toyota, All Pro Painting, and Horst Electric gave us that chance.”
Though Toyota funded the entire renovation of the new playing surface, two other organizations stepped forward to upgrade the lighting and aesthetic appeal of the gym. Horst Kelterborn from Horst Electric donated thousands of dollars in labor and materials that allowed the installation of a more energy efficient lighting system for the gym. Included in this system were bulbs that emit pure white light to complement the new gym floor, and fixtures that instantly light up as opposed to the old system that took several minutes to warm up - costing practice time and money. The other Donor for the facility upgrade was All Pro Painting operated by Darrell Joosten. All Pro Painting contributed thousands of dollars in labor and paint. The initial project involved painting two walls in the gym white, but was expanded by Darrell as the project went on to include color matched stripes, a painted ceiling, painting all four walls, painting every door, the locker rooms and basketball hoop poles.
The North community is fortunate to have such valuable relationships with these organizations that came together to provide a playing space to match the accomplishments of the award-winning student athletes that compete at the North High School.
