To the Editor:
Those of you who know me know I’m not the Letter to the Editor-writing type, but this concerns a topic very close to my heart: the renovation of the wrestling room at Rye High and Middle School. The wrestling room renovation is included in the school district’s 2024-2025 annual budget. It’s a need that has come up since the passing of the capital bond in 2019, fueled in part by an exciting resurgence in wrestling at Rye High School and in the greater Rye community. It’s an incredible sport that teaches important life lessons about winning and losing. Just ask any wrestler! The wres-tling room at our middle and high school needs to be brought up to par.
I grew up in Rye, went to Rye Middle School and graduated from Rye High in 1992. My sons Thomas and Jack are in the class of 2024 and 2026. Both wrestled during middle and high school. I’m proud to say they are both Division-winning, All County wrestlers. Thomas is All Section and Jack is All League. We have a great team of up-and-coming wrestlers and a terrific coach, RHS math teacher Brian Scher.
The room my sons wrestles in is exactly the same as when I went to middle and high school there in the 80s and 90s. Not just the room — the pads on the floors, the lack of fresh air, and the walls are all the same! Wrestling families will tell you that it’s very important to sanitize wrestling equipment after use to prevent transmission of skin infections. Our pads have so many rips and gouges they can’t be cleaned effectively. The room has no windows (it’s above the RHS gym) and no ventilation. Back in my day, the school would use the space for both middle school and high school gym classes. I’m sure if it were reno-vated, they would again.
Please vote “yes” for the school budget on May 21. The wrestling room needs this critical upgrade and the overall budget is sensible and provides strong programs and safe, healthy schools for our kids. Inflation has impacted all of us and the schools are not immune. Vote “yes” for the future of our great schools and for great wrestling in Rye.
Mike Anderson