The banging and clanking can be heard throughout the school. As I look out the window, I see what I’ve been dreading for a while now. I knew it

was going to happen, the school had warned us, but it still hurt to see it. This is where portions of my summer were spent, where I began to fall in love with a sport, but now all there was was a fence, blocking access for all students.

In the summer of 2024, six brand new tennis courts were opened for the NS girls and boys tennis teams to use. This left five other older tennis

courts that opened up so many opportunities for tennis and pickleball in PE and for tennis competitions. Most of the courts were still in good condition.

But in the spring of 2025, the district decided that the best use of these courts would be to take away the use of the two bottom courts and

utilize them to expand the bus garage that was located right next to the courts. Along with the two bottom courts, it would also cause half of the parking lot, located south of the seminary building, to be removed.

When students heard about this they were not very thrilled. In a survey conducted by the NS Times, 62 percent of respondents dislike the

new bus garage addition, while 24percent have a neutral opinion, and 14 percent like the changes made.

I was part of the 62 percent that disliked the new addition to the bus garage.

I know from personal experience that during the NS girls and boys tennis seasons the courts were used frequently. Out of the five courts, the

two bottom ones were in the best shape, and they were used for varsity tournaments and JV matches. I played on those courts my fair share of times.

Not only were they used for the NS tennis teams, but the PE classes and the newly developed pickleball club also regularly used them. Now

kids are left standing and watching others play on the courts because there aren't enough courts for everyone.

Those tennis courts were a major part of my childhood, and they helped me shape who I am today. I played many hours of summer tennis, and

learned the sport on those courts. I sat through my older brother's matches too, and then it was my turn. I can recall countless days spent out in the sun playing with my friends on those courts. Playing tennis has helped to define who I am, and also helped to develop many positive qualities and characteristics.

I understand however, that they need more space for the buses to park, and as our district grows so does the need for transportation to

school, and this was the most cost efficient way to solve this problem. The school does have property in other places but they would have to build a whole new garage and parking for all the buses, and that would cost more money.

But was it really worth the loss of these courts? I don’t think so. Those courts were worth a lot of money, and were used for many different

things. The courts meant a lot to the students and other people, so to just fence them off and use them for buses to park on seems like a waste of space. They could have fenced off property somewhere else to park the rest of the new buses, but instead they took the courts.