The new gym has been a project long in the making, but the countdown is almost over. It’s expected to be finished sometime in September. It will be the biggest expansion of the school since 1997, when the original building was added onto. It is expected to add a lot to the school.

   “I love the plan,” basketball coach Roger Stirtz said. “I love the space, every location can be used for multiple purposes. Even our concession stand can be used for sports marketing. We’ve got a new dance studio that our body-sculpting and physical education classes can use. It can also obviously be occupied after school with teams, so it’s going to be a fantastic building and I think a lot of different teams and people will be able to utilize it.”

   The gym will be used for many things along the year, including school gatherings and assemblies. With over 400 more seats and new spaces, assemblies will no longer be as crowded as they were in Cokely Fieldhouse. Learn more on how physical education helps academic performance, here

   “Right now, during some assemblies, part of the student body has to sit on the  floor in Cokely,” principal Dr. April Adams said. “Now everyone can be in the stands. Plus we can reopen events to parents which we’re really excited about.”

   The gym also has much more practice space that can be utilized by many teams. Sports teams can use the learning stairs that will act as an assembly-like setting for teams to review film.

   “We have five volleyball courts and three basketball courts,” athletic director Jason Cahill said. “The cool thing about it is that unlike Cokely, when you retract the bleachers you still get full sized basketball courts going sideways. There are not many high school gyms where you can get a full sized gym going sideways. It’s pretty neat.”

   Other uses for the gym range from classroom spaces, to aerobics. The gym will add a total of eight classroom spaces including a flexible learning space overlooking the Fieldhouse to be used by sports teams, clubs and for many other meetings and gatherings.

  The gym will also expand P.E. classes by providing a cardio room with treadmills and bikes.    

   The gym will feature an elevated track that will be used year round and can also be used to watch games from.

   If the gym is finished when expected, the first game to be played in the gym will be volleyball.

   Senior Morgan Fleming is an outside hitter on the varsity volleyball team and is really looking forward to playing in the gym.

   “I’m super excited. I think this gym will be around for a long time so we’ll go down in history being the first team to play in it and that’s really special,” Fleming said.

   The gym is bringing a lot of excitement to the school and the atmosphere is expected to be electric and exciting for anyone who walks into the new gym.

   “It’s going to be so amazing,” Adams said. “I believe the school spirit is going to triple because it’s such a beautiful space and there’s going to be so much school pride.”