(WASHINGTON, DC) – Today Mayor Vincent C. Gray officially broke ground on the project site for the full modernization of Cardozo Senior High School, located at 11th and Clifton Streets NW.

“Today is the first step toward the District’s goal of turning Cardozo Senior High School into a 21st-century, high-tech facility,” Mayor Gray said.

The full modernization of Cardozo consists of a complete upgrade of the building and its systems, updating them to state-of-the-art technical and educational standards. The modernized school will include a new regulation-size gymnasium building for basketball, volleyball, and weightlifting activities, along with atrium spaces in the former courtyards to accommodate a cafeteria. Other features will include a central staircase, expanded band and choral rooms, expanded construction and electronic academies and an enhanced kitchen.

Originally built in 1916, Cardozo Senior High School is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“It is truly an exciting day when you first break ground on a new project – especially when you fully modernize a facility on behalf of the next generation of young leaders in the District of Columbia,” said City Administrator Allen Y. Lew.

Construction on Cardozo High School will begin in December, and is scheduled to be completed in August 2013. For more information on DGS and the Cardozo High School modernization, visit www.dgs.dc.gov.