Home Stretch
Construction project at EHS set for completion in July
By Bobbi Mlynar
Saturday, June 2, 2007
More space, more equipment and personal privacy will greet physical education students when they return to classes in August at Emporia High School. Beyond the obvious improvements, the students will find that Emporia taxpayers have given them a bonus they can use for a lifetime: health and wellness.
The renovation and construction project underway on the east side of the school will provide space and equipment for weight-lifting and fitness rooms, to get students into condition and help them stay that way. Major improvements or renovations are being made in locker rooms, showers, restrooms and teacher offices as part of the $3.4 million project.
This week, most of the work was running on schedule for its mid- to late-July completion date, with only a few renovations estimated two weeks behind.
“We had some really good luck with the weather early on,” said Susan Hernandez, assistant superintendant of business, during a walk-through of the construction area this week. Hernandez was joined by Scott Sheldon, EHS principal; Curt Lanpher, the district’s new director of maintenance, who started work about 10 days ago; Sherry Nelson, chairperson of the physical education department; and Dave Emig, project engineer.
“I think the size is innovative,” said Emig, who designed the plan and is overseeing the work. “We’ve tried to make it generous so the school district can grow into it.”
The changes should alleviate student crowding now and, more important, eliminate long-standing problems with crumbly walls, falling ceiling tiles, and other side-effects created by the constant dampness in locker rooms and showers. Those problems were exacerbated by the PE rooms’ lack of ventilation and their proximity to the school’s swimming pool.
“It contributed more than a normal locker room would,” Sheldon said.
Members of the group talked about the changes underway and how they will affect EHS students and guest athletes as well.
Improved and enlarged shower areas will give students privacy while they clean up after classes and games. Restrooms with more fixtures and stalls also are being installed — a substantial improvement over current accommodations.
“We have two bathroom stalls and we have approximately 100 (students) every hour,” Nelson said.
The girls’ varsity area has been approximately doubled and will be about the same size as the boys’ varsity rooms. Footed concrete pads will hold lockers and serve as benches for team members to sit on.
Three of the four locker rooms will be totally renovated, and the fourth will be renovated with a small expansion added on, Emig said.
“There should be enough room for all to have lockers,” he said.
Old lockers that were salvageable have been cleaned, repaired and re-painted EHS red, and rows of new lockers in boxes remain to be assembled.
The boys’ and girls’ physical education rooms also are being renovated.
Coaches’ offices will have doors that open into hallways instead of into boys’ or girls’ areas and the new coaches’ shower area can be accessed by referees, who may need to shower quickly and leave.
The new weight room will be 3,700 square feet — more than double the old weight room size — and a 3,700 square-foot fitness room also has been added. A large V-shaped office cuts into the wall between both rooms, with full windows that allow a teacher or coach to observe both rooms simultaneously. The fitness room is spacious enough to accommodate cheerleaders, dance team members and PE students all at one time. The room has been made airy and light with broad windows that extend almost from ceiling to floor.
The weight and fitness rooms will give the PE department an opportunity to introduce a curriculum that has been in teachers’ plans for about six years, Hernandez said. The teachers then were awarded a three-year grant to develop a curriculum.
“But they couldn’t implement the changes they wanted because of space,” Hernandez said.
Now, Nelson said, students will be able to use treadmills, recumbent and regular bicycles, stair steppers, cross-training machines and resistance trainers to work themselves into better health and wellness. They will train to develop cardiovascular muscles, endurance, muscle strength and flexibility, as well as working on body composition.
Data on physical development will be maintained, naturally, but Nelson said that the workouts should give students more than healthier bodies. She expects healthier minds will be an auxiliary benefit.
At the beginning of the year, PE teachers will give students questionnaires to assess their self-esteem; at the end of the year, students will be asked the same questions to determine whether their opinions of themselves have improved.
Nelson also will maintain data to track grade-point averages, blood pressure and resting heart rates. She expects to find improvements in all categories.
“I think nationwide you’re seeing schools emphasizing this,” Nelson said. “… We have data on the students since seventh grade we’ll be able to compare.”
The project will be completed before classes resume in August. Rinner Construction of Topeka is general contractor. Local contractors involved are George Groh & Sons Inc. Roofing and Sheet Metal, Grimmett Construction, Modern Air Conditioning, Central Concrete Construction, Shelley Electric and Burnap Bros. Plumbing.