It might not be the Crisler Center, but Greenhills is taking strides to create a facelift to not only update part of the building but to honor the past, present, and future of all 15 varsity sports. As trophy cases got ushered out of the athletic entrance hallway, they were replaced with large murals to honor the athletes. 

Over the last five years, Greenhills has been able to bring home nine district championships, 14 regional championships, and five state championships. The goal for the renovation was to not only display these recent accomplishments, but to motivate the future sports teams. 

“I hope people will walk in and know that we have a proud athletic program, we are an accomplished program, and we take it seriously,” said Michael Shaw, director of communications and marketing, who took the initiative on this project. “For a long time, there was this false notion that Greenhills was all academics and that athletics was secondary, but I believe that anyone at Greenhills knows that athletics and overall health and wellness are a part of learning here as a whole.” 

With the exponential growth of high school sports participation and an increasing trophy collection, it was necessary for change. 

“The starting point [for the renovations] was the shelves, the two 80-foot shelves that are running along the sides of the hallway,” said Shaw. “Those being able to display more of a timeline of the athletic program, with how many trophies we have been able to bring home over the years.” 

Not only does Greenhills want to honor the past competitors Shaw said, but there are additional aspects of flexibility for the athletics to come. 

“The renovations for that entrance came from wanting it to reflect the caliber of the athletic program was where the idea started,” said Shaw. “The issue with trophy cases is that you will always be limited by space, there’s so many trophies that no longer fit within the cases and some are just bursting at the seams. We were trying to come up with a new way to display those trophies and have them show the strength of our athletic program overtime.”

This led to a search for a way to better appreciate not only the space that is the athletic entrance hallway, but to implement the appreciation of how far each  has made it. 

“The starting point was the shelves, the two 80-foot shelves that are running along the sides of the hallway,” said Shaw. “Those being able to display more of a timeline of the athletic program, with how many trophies we have been able to bring home over the years. By taking the trophies out of their cases and being able to display them on the shelves chronologically, instead of by sport, when you walk into space you are able to admire the trophies and see all the hard work over the years. It also becomes a flexible space, we are able to shift them to accommodate the new trophies as well.” 

After some consideration, it was determined that the renovations were not only necessary to honor current competitors but to signal to other competitors that walk through the door what our athletic department is really about. 

“This is going to have a big and bold visual impact and will give more of an impression as you walk in,” said athletic director Meg Seng. “You will still be able to see the trophies above, and with removing the trophy cases from the hallway, it makes the space more flexible for everyone.”

The results of this renovation ensure one of the many core values of the school. It will ensure every trophy is properly honored and has a proper home, to not only enhance but revive the former dark entrance.

“Guests are impressed with the amount of hardware that we have, and to be able to display that in a way where everything is more visible, it’s really exciting to have that,” said Seng.  “This renovation allowed more hardware to be seen, while making a bigger impression on visitors, alums and even our own students.” 

Due to the quick remodel of the hallway, students are slowly discovering the re-design. It has become a seamlessly integrated part of the school community which future generations will be able to admire. 

“It looks really nice, it makes the space more interesting, there’s more of a history so that students who are playing on current teams and the students that will play on future teams can look back at all the accomplishments that past teams have done, and see the history that they’re standing on,” said Dominic Schuster ‘24.