Last week, Roosevelt High School publicly unveiled its brand new, state-of-the art gymnasium for the first time.
The $35 million facility spans 55,000 square feet and features amenities such as a video board, an upstairs mezzanine and all-purpose area for indoor sports.
Roosevelt's new gym was the first part of a master plan to have its facilities up to Hawai‘i Department of Education standards. The school is currently constructing an $18 million music building, currently projected for a 2028 opening.
Other features of Roosevelt's new gym include a weight room, mat room, first aid room, offices, locker rooms and a concession stand.
The blessing of Roosevelt's new gym on Wednesday, June 24, began with Rev. Ryan Souza blowing into a conch shell, followed by a prayer. After Hawai‘i DOE superintendent Keith Hayashi, Roosevelt principal Sean Wong and Roosevelt athletic director John Chung participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony outside the gym, guests were allowed to enter and observe the gym for the first time.
Hayashi, Wong and Chung all delivered speeches on the new gym floor. Wong and Chung both teared up when explaining what the project meant to them.
Wong, who had been Roosevelt's principal for 11 years, is departing the school to become the DOE's secondary principal in residence on July 1.
Roosevelt athletic director John Chung delivers a speech during the unveiling of the school's new gym. Photo by Christian Shimabuku (Aloha State Daily Staff) 
Roosevelt principal Sean Wong delivers a speech during the unveiling of the school's new gym. Photo by Christian Shimabuku (Aloha State Daily Staff) 
Rev. Ryan Souza blows into a conch shell at the beginning of a blessing for Roosevelt's new gym. Photo by Christian Shimabuku (Aloha State Daily Staff) 
Hawai‘i DOE superintendent Keith Hayashi delivers a speech during the unveiling of Roosevelt's new gym. Photo by Christian Shimabuku (Aloha State Daily Staff) 
The bleachers at Roosevelt's new gym. Photo by Christian Shimabuku (Aloha State Daily Staff) 
An upstairs practice area at Roosevelt's new gym, designed for indoor sports such as judo. Photo by Christian Shimabuku (Aloha State Daily Staff)
"Definitely mixed feelings," Wong told Aloha State Daily following the ceremony. "Obviously just seeing everybody's time and effort put into this, I'm just fortunate to have been a part of this project that students will enjoy for generations. Just thank you to the community, and thank you to everybody for their commitment and dedication to our school."
To Wong and Chung, a new gym at Roosevelt was decades in the making. Chung in particular remembers hearing those complaints back when his father, Stanley, was Roosevelt's athletic director. Stanley Chung, who retired as Roosevelt's AD in 1988, died at 94 in 2025.
Despite graduating high school from Saint Louis, Roosevelt has always been near to John Chung's heart. In 2007, he got the job as Roosevelt's AD and has held the position ever since.
John Chung expressed Wednesday that his father would have loved the school's new digs and is undoubtedly proud of the progress made over the years, which ramped up in intensity following the draft of a master plan in 2014 and the demolition of the old gym in 2023.
When Roosevelt's student body steps into the gym for the first time, "they're gonna notice that the gym is a lot cooler than what they're used to," Chung said. "Our old gym, we'd just be sweating. Our old gym felt kind of tight, squeezed in. . ... I think they're gonna be excited. I hope they are, because this is for them. Not just for athletics, but for the whole school."
Roosevelt will host an open house for the public to peruse its gym on July 11 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
