What same classroom, after years of promising new equipment, will finally get a “cosmetic lift”?
That is right, the weight room is getting much needed updates.
The district approved two high schools receiving a renovated weight room, Northtown and Winnetonka.
Although it will not be structurally different, Northtown’s updated room will receive new lighting, new ceilings, a new floor, new wall paint, and all new equipment.
“A lot of our equipment is over 20 years old. We are concerned about safety and it has become apparent we need something new. We hope to eventually build a new weight room, but for the meantime, we are doing a cosmetic lift,” athletic director Dr. Chad Evans said.
The Hornets will walk into a brightly painted, newly floored weight room hopefully by the end of the school year. Students will be met by black rubber flooring with purple specks, which is more suitable for the weight room instead of the classroom tile currently there.
Walls will be painted gold with purple specks, new water fountains will be placed around the classroom and students can say hello to state of the year equipment. There will be new power racks, new benches, dumbbells, plates, and bars. New hammer strength leg equipment and a new lap pull down will also be added.
Wrestling Coach Wayne Walker says when they redid the weight room, they wanted it to be perfect.
“We’ve been waiting a long time for this and we were only going to have one shot at it- it had to be right. We weren’t going to be satisfied with hand-me-downs, and a half-did job,” Walker said.
Many students have visited the weight room. It is used before school, eight different blocks during school, after school, and routinely throughout the summer. As one of the main classrooms, Evans and students believe it is important to have clean-safe-structurally sound equipment.
“It’s going to be something we can look up to and actually look forward to going into the weight room. Too many times I’ve been disappointed with the equipment we have or don’t have. Hopefully, it will make us want to lift,” sophomore Kyle Bates said.
