Knoch wrestling club looking for new practice room at high school
The Knoch wrestling club is growing and it’s looking to add a dedicated practice room at the recently renovated school building.
According to new district superintendent Melissa Grantz, the wrestling team is currently using a small room in Knoch Intermediate High School, which the club has outgrown.
“They currently have a room in our intermediate school, but they are a growing group,” Grantz said. “They're looking to expand to have some additional practice room.”
The club is looking to move into and renovate the high school’s former weight room and turn it into a dedicated wrestling practice area. According to Grantz, the old weight room was left behind during the high school renovation, which created a more advanced fitness center with modern equipment.
“With the renovation project, we created a new wellness center and have new weight room equipment in another part of the building,” Grantz said.
At its action meeting next week, the school board is expected to allow Gateway Engineers to evaluate a block wall in the now-former weight room. The board is also expected to approve appointing a contractor to remove the wall, if the engineering firm deems it is safe to do so.
The costs for the renovation project have yet to be determined. However, Grantz says that the wrestling club’s boosters would pay for the entirety of the project.
The new school year — which began Wednesday, Aug. 26 — will mark the second since the completion of Knoch High School’s extensive, $39 million renovation project. The renovation was officially completed in time for the 2025-26 school year after two years of planning and construction and added features such as new entrances, classrooms, restrooms, a new cafeteria, a new common area and improved student labs.
At Wednesday night’s meeting, the school board announced that DRAW Collective — the architecture firm that led the renovation project — intended to submit the project as an entry in the upcoming AIA Pittsburgh Design Awards.
