Students at Walt Whitman High School can work out in a brand new fitness center! The district held a ribbon cutting ceremony on April 17th to officially open the doors to the high school’s state-of-the-art workout facility. After three years of planning and budgeting, and several months of construction, what used to be a musty weight room with no air conditioning, was moved to a larger space in the school and upgraded with all new fitness equipment.
Athletic Director Dave Barth said the old room was just too small and the equipment was outdated. After visiting other schools’ fitness areas and consulting the Walt Whitman physical education staff, the concept for this new workout room was put together. In addition to the new fitness equipment, including treadmills, ellipticals, spin bikes with video games, plate loaded weight machines and free weights, there is also a new music and video system, improved lighting, climate control, and a turf-covered free space.
“Nowadays, kids are doing body weight workouts with a lot of emphasis on movement,” said Mr. Barth. “If you don't have free space, you can't do it. So we knocked down a wall and now we have an open turf area. So they’re able to do medicine ball throws, tire flips and sled pushes in there.”
The new fitness center will provide serious training space for Whitman’s athletic teams, and all 2,000 students at the high school will spend time in the fitness center for phys-ed classes throughout the school year. Besides the usual gym class fare of team sports like volleyball, basketball and badminton, students at Whitman can choose to take Personal Fitness, Strength Training, or Lifetime Fitness classes to fulfill physical education class requirements for graduation.
South Huntington Board of Education President Nicholas Ciappetta sees the new space as both a fitness center and wellness classroom. “Especially since the pandemic, we realize the importance of mental health and physical health. And learning those habits early will continue with you for life. The more fit [students] are physically, it helps with their mental health and dealing with stress,” said Mr. Ciappetta.
Students and athletes had to use outdoor facilities, wrestling rooms and a converted office space that was turned into a makeshift workout room while the new fitness space was under construction this school year. Now that it’s finished, Dave Barth says the feedback has been fantastic and use of the space before and after school is up. The fitness center is open Monday through Friday at 6:30 a.m. - an hour before school starts - and stays open two hours after school ends at 2:15 p.m. During the school day, access is limited while phys-ed classes are there.
Walt Whitman High School Principal John Murphy says this new space supports the needs of his students as a whole person. “We’ve focused so much on the academic needs of our students,” said Murphy. “But we also needed to give students a safe space before, during, and after school where they could work on their health. I want them to live long happy lives. And the only way to do this is to give them a true baseline of what it means to be physically fit and keep fitness in your life.”
The construction of the new fitness center cost about $500,000. The money was raised through the district’s Wildcat Summer Camp programs.