David Y. Ige

KALIHI – Nearly four years after the Farrington High School auditorium’s roof collapsed, students and staff are now enjoying the renovated facility with state of the art equipment.

A 40-foot section of the facility’s roof collapsed during a brief but heavy downpour on Nov. 23, 2012, Black Friday. At that time, one person was backstage and was not injured.

A report by the Department has found that a design flaw in Farrington High School’s 58-year-old auditorium contributed to its roof collapse on November 23, 2012. The report by structural engineers from Kai Hawaii found that one of the steel trusses that created the roof framing was inadequately designed to support the loads that a normal truss would – in addition to a light balcony attached to that truss.

The $11.9 million in repairs and renovations were completed in September 2016 and include the addition of updated lighting and audio elements; refurbished chairs, classroom space and a new media center equipped with a green screen and studio lighting.

“I want to thank the students and staff for their input in the rebuilding of their auditorium,” said Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi. “This facility is the center for so many activities. Now, it is equipped with state of the art audio systems and a media center that the students and school community can be proud of.”

“We are grateful to have our auditorium back,” Farrington Principal Al Carganilla said. “This space will be a vital part of our school community that will feature concerts, film festivals, academy graduations and more.”

The auditorium was originally opened to the school in 1954. The school will use the 1,200+ seat facility to host events such as parent night for parents of seniors a few weeks ago, band and orchestra concerts, song contest, assemblies and more.

Photos of the Nov. 2012 damage and today’s opening can be downloaded at:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/mqxerqhyhbdaxvj/AACSUBH1lEehpWDvG7HXV01ha?dl=0
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Donalyn Dela Cruz
Director of Communications
Phone:  (808) 586-3232
E-mail:  [email protected]