The Need
After speaking to students, teachers, and administrators the need is clear.
Our students need this gym to maximize performance in both academics and athletics.
Our entire community will benefit as well.
Academically
Our students deserve the best.
P.E. Classes
Did you know that RP has had a PE class with 60 students in it? Not only is that not safe, it's almost impossible to manage. With one gym, administrators must create classes with this size to accommodate every student. If there was another gym these classes would be split up.
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Did you know that RP is one of the only schools that does not offer Advanced Physical Conditioning (APC) or other electives for their students? Students would love the opportunity to realize the benefits of exercise during the day! There isn't enough space to create this class.
Large Events
Did you know that RP has an incredibly successful and engaging FFA chapter? Students often consider switching to RP because of the success of the FFA. It would be nice to have space to host FFA events.RP is very limited on the number of guest speakers coming and speaking to the entire school, high school, or junior high because there isn't enough space to hold large events during the school day.
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Did you know that starting next year Indiana high schools are required to hold at least one Career Fair? Students will have to participate in another school's Career Fair without the additional space an auxiliary gym could offer. ​
School Safety
Did you know students must leave the gym to attend certain classes in the weight room for P.E.? School security becomes complicated when students leave the building to go to another building. Especially when students leave a building with a School Resource Officer (SRO) to go to a building without one.
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Did you know students have gotten hurt by falling on ice crossing the parking lot? The student hit their head and required ambulance transportation. Anytime a student leaves the building of a school it is a safety and liability concern.
Standardized Testing
Did you know that students at RP take their important standardized tests (I-LEARN, PSAT, etc.) in the cafeteria? Students can't use the gym because of PE classes. Students are distracted by those in the hallway and passing periods.
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RP needs extra space for students. Students can take their tests in peace, improve their performance, and not be impacted by distractions.
Academic Contests
Academic Bowls, Spell Bowls, Math Bowls, Robotics Competition. All of these contests require space. RP does not have enough space for gym classes let alone hosting contests. RP students and families must travel for these contests increasing costs for families and the school corporation.
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If you've ever been to an academic bowl they're almost always held in.......the school's auxiliary gym.
The Future
Did you know that the current 9th grade class at RP has over 90 students in it? It required RP to haul in more lockers when it was in the Junior High wing. There's just simply not enough space and we are outgoing our facilities.
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Building an auxiliary gym won't guarantee a program like robotics right away. But not having a gym guarantees RP students won't have access to the space needed for one. Building robots and hosting a competition takes space.
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Let's stop saying "wouldn't it be cool if our students could..." and start bringing more opportunities to our students.
Athletically
Our student athletes deserve the best.
Storage & Space
Did you know this has been a problem for 30 years and will be a problem for 30 more if not addressed? RP is one of the only Junior/Senior high schools in the area (probably in the state) that only has one gym for its students. Think about all our area schools and their gym capacity. RP is two schools with one gym.
Did you know that elementary teams and programs fight for space on their own gym floors because there isn't enough space?
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Baseball and Softball also compete for space in the wintertime often causing students to start their days before 6:00 am to get gym space.
Wrestling
Did you know that RP now offers wrestling? It's a great option for students! However, our program is homeless with wrestling mats hauled in a trailer for meets in two locations. When in use those mats take up space and eliminates gym time for elementary students.
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An auxiliary gym could allow the current weight room to be used for wrestling and allow mats to be kept secure without taking up gym space.
Transportation
Did you know that due to space limitations parents and students must travel on Coxville Road so many times for practice that if Parke County converted it to a toll road there'd be enough money that there would be no pot holes...for the rest of our lives?
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In all seriousness, driving from one end of the district to the other (Bridgeton to Montezuma) for practice takes almost an hour roundtrip. A centralized location at RP would minimize traveling and be safer.
Weight Room
Did you know that some people lift weights and don't play sports? Some people, well, actually a lot of students, do it for both mental and physical health benefits. Doing so at a young age can help students maintain a healthier lifestyle throughout their life.
Simply, RP has outgrown its current weight room. There is not enough room for the number of students and athletes that utilize the weight room.
Moving the weight room to a new and better space connected to the school would give all RP students better access to the equipment.
Youth Sports
Did you know that many coaches in our elementary schools rent gyms with their own money for practices? Did you know many youth programs have to practice on Saturday or even late in the evening because there is no space.
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Junior High Sports often have practices ending between 8:00 and 9:00 on a school night because there is not enough room.
Did you know 80% of parents believe sports helped their children learn about dedication and discipline? 73 % of parents believe that sports benefit their child’s mental health 88 % of parents believe that sports benefit their child’s physical health.​
Cheer Teams
Did you know that RP Cheer teams practice in the hallways at RP? When cheer teams practice their stunts or basket tosses the cheerleaders' heads come dangerously close to the lights in the hallway.
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Cheer teams also compete with other sports that need the hallway for practice because there is no space. An auxiliary gym would allow all RP athletes to practice safely.
Publicly
Our community deserves the best.
Our Taxes in View
We all pay Federal, State, and local taxes. Not often do we get to see our own tax directly benefitting our communities. The auxiliary gym is an opportunity to improve daily life for our students and bring an asset to our community. Every person in our district can see exactly where the money was spent.
Community Pride
We want our students and community to have access to great opportunities. We all want our children to be safe, healthy, and have the ability to learn and grow. Let's give them the best our community can offer and take pride in our schools and community's facilities.
Event Space
We have a lack of event space in our community. Especially since we lost the Mecca School to a fire. Family reunions, class reunions, competitions, opportunities to listen to music, guest speakers, etc. It's very difficult to bring those to our community because we lack space big enough. Money being used to rent spaces outside of our district could be kept here.
Centrally Located
Our families will finally have one spot they could travel for practices, games, rehearsals, competitions, and events. Traveling across the district takes time away from families. Families with elementary aged children will also have access to their gymnasiums again for their own events or competitions.
Retain Families
When is the last time our community took on this big of a project? Completing this project sends a message to families in our district. It shows we are investing in the future and that we are willing to sacrifice to solve problems and create new and exciting opportunities.
Access to Facilities
Our community (severely) lacks access to indoor recreation opportunities. Not only do youth sports suffer but we don't have options to utilize indoor space for recreational leagues for sports such as basketball, volleyball, pickleball, or even an area for weight training. This space could give us this opportunity.