In the wind chill of December, Lower Schoolers finish running their usual two-lap warmup on the track, eager to warm up indoors.
Instead of shaking in the insufferable outdoor cold, coach Dwight Phillips takes his students to the new fieldhouse, where they are able to exercise in comfort.
With the construction of the fieldhouse and a new coat of blue paint on the outdoor basketball court, these new additions have facilitated everyday life for everyone on campus.
“Especially when the weather is bad, we can go inside and go to the fieldhouse,” Phillips said. “Now, we have other venues where we can conduct our P.E. classes. So it makes it easy. Man, it makes it really easy.”
Before the additions of the fieldhouse and the Zierk Athletic Complex, Phillips struggled to conduct P.E. classes efficiently.
With overlapping Middle School P.E. classes and limited space, finding adequate time and room for his lower school students.
For Phillips, the fieldhouse alleviates the pressure.
“The class that I’m with right now overlaps with fifth and sixth grade P.E., which means that there’s at least 150 kids in P.E. at once,” Phillips said. “It is great that we have space and other things that we can do.”
Phillips has seen the immediate impact first hand.
“(The fieldhouse) has enhanced not only our sports program, but our physical education programs too,” Phillips said. “So it’s amazing. I think it gives us another avenue to what we can do with P.E..”
Even when the temperature drops, kids are still able to wear short sleeve shirts and shorts, making good use of the new facilities.