Students who have ventured into the basement for the first time since last spring have been greeted with a stunning surprise: a new, state-of-the-art weight room now resides there, helping our athletic programs soar to new heights. Every aspect has been upgraded from the old room to the new. Floor space has more than doubled—from 2,500 square feet to 6,000 square feet—and the weight room now boasts 18 power lifts compared to eight in the former weight room. Many students who frequent the weight room have expressed great appreciation for the new weight room. “I really enjoy pumping iron during my off periods, working on my gun show,” senior Spencer Oh said. Senior Brian Pierce also voiced his pleasure for the improved room. “The sound system is amazing, and a lot more people are using it,” he said. “The old room was pretty good and worked well, but this new room is just amazing.” According to Principal Evans, the new pieces of equipment cost $100,000 and the renovations to the room cost $300,000. According to athletic director Judge Johnston, funding for the weight room renovation came from the PPEL budget, which is the revenue source that can only be used for buildings and equipment. “There were a few reasons why we felt we needed a new weight room,” Johnston said. “The old weight room could hold 20, maybe 25 kids safely and PE classes were running over 30 kids. We wanted to remake the PE lifting program so more kids could be accommodated.” With this new room, more students can do their lifting during the day and get credit for it. “We want to shorten the days of athletes who previously were waking up at 6 a.m. or staying past 6 p.m. to lift,” Johnston said. “We’re really proud and happy with how the room turned out.” “Our weight room is definitely top 3, top 5 in the CIML from what I’ve seen,” Johnston continued. “When I showed Harrison Barnes our new weight room, he even said that the facilities here were better than what they had at UNC.” Ultimately, however, the quality of the room will be judged by those who use it. “Before, it would sometimes get cramped with three or four people sharing one lifting rack,” Pierce said, “but now there’s ample space all the time.”