Students on campus may have noted that there’s been a change on campus as of late. Namely: the construction noises are gone, and the new weight room and student union are (almost) complete. To find out more about these exciting developments, I reached out to a few of the people involved with the building and operating of these buildings – Mr. Aston, Mr. Mac, and Coach Crow.
Mr. Aston
When I talked to Mr. Aston, he first addressed the possible name of the weight room. The weight room’s name is yet to be decided because it has to go through a committee, but may be named the Harper Weight Room in honor of the late Coach Harper. Regardless of its name, the weight room and its decorations will serve to honor the life of Mr. Harper.
Why did the school decide to build a new weight room and student union?
The decision to build a new weight room and student union predates Mr. Aston. He said that there was a bond passed about seven or eight years ago, and that was when the decision was made. He explained: “A bond is where the taxpayers vote in favor of an increase in taxes in order to help upgrade facilities or build facilities here at the school.” The plan for the union and the weight room was included in the bond. It made sense to replace the locker pods, given that they were outdated and underutilized. It also made sense to include a new student union because, in re-doing the B-wing, THS lost its old student union. As for the weight room, “the weight room was just that portable classroom, and it’s pretty small and can’t accommodate very many students. So, now, we’ve basically doubled our space.”
What resources have gone into building the student union and the weight room? How has the school funded their construction?
Mr. Aston replied: “So once again, like I said, the bond funds – the money that was set aside from the original bond, budgeted for those two rooms. We’ve also had some generous donations. We got some new weight equipment … Weyrick lumber donated $600 worth of wood to put in those.”
How long have the weight room and the student union been in construction?
Construction began near the end of the last school year. The construction crew worked over the summer, “But it really started in earnest in August.”
What challenges arose during the building process?
Mr. Aston explained that, because the rooms are made of cinder blocks, they get very cold. To solve this problem, construction installed ductless heaters to keep the rooms warm on chilly mornings. To keep the rooms cool in the summer, construction installed large fans in the rooms. Little details, such as where a drinking fountain could go, were limited by the existing location and build of the locker pods. Problems are impossible to avoid, because “There’s always going to be little hiccups when it comes to building.”
How was the design for the weight room and the student union decided upon?
“When it came to design, everything goes through an architecture firm that’s contracted through the district. And what the architects do is they figure out the best way to utilize the space. We obviously had some limitations because of the existing structure – the locker pods.”
Who can use the weight room?
“Right now, we have a weights class, and then there’s a zero-period weights class that goes in there. P.E. classes can also utilize that weight room. Any of our sports teams, it’s open to them. [Additionally] the firefighters come and use it – the Templeton fire department comes and uses the weight room. They used the old one too. We also have it opened to law enforcement, and different agencies that have asked [to use it] when it’s not being used by students. Basically it’s open to any of our sports teams, any of our P.E. classes, and primarily by our weights classes.”
What are you most excited for with these new rooms?
“I’m excited to have the student union as a place where we can hold information meetings or activities. There’s always something going on, or there’s a club that needs to have a meeting, or a coach that needs to have a meeting with kids that want to be on a team. I think it’s going to be a great place for students to hang out. There’s going to be lots of places to charge phones, plug in your chromebook, and things like that, so I’m most excited for that, and just for it to be utilized by the students.”
When will the student union be open for use?
The furniture for the student union is on its way. Once it’s installed, the union will be ready for use. Unfortunately, the date for when the furniture will arrive is murky. Regarding this date, Mr. Aston said, “I can’t say for sure but very soon! Sometime this semester.”
I don’t have any more questions, so is there anything you’d like to add?
“Know too, with the renovations of the weight room and the student union, we also did some light maintenance for the bathrooms, so those bathrooms are now open… It’s not brand-new in there, we just fixed everything… [but] we went from four bathrooms to six bathrooms.” As for the student union: “We’re going to have to have a big screen up on the wall that will have announcements… there will be a couch, and some chairs and tables, it will be a place to just come and hang out and relax. Hopefully we keep it clean. That’s the thing that we’re really going to stress to students: this is a really cool thing to have, we want to respect it and keep it clean.”
Mr. Mac
Mr. Mac, ASB director, has been heavily involved with the construction of the student union. Here, he answers some questions about the new build.
What is the main purpose of the student union and how does it benefit our student body?
“Generally, the student union is a place for students. A place where they can meet, eat, enjoy time together, and relax. In our student union we will ultimately have a foosball table, computers, printers, charging ports, raised table and nice furniture for the students to enjoy. This is also a place that clubs, teams, or teachers could reserve to use. We are hoping to have our interest meetings, guest speakers and college meetings in here as well.”
Who can use the student union?
“The plan is for the student union to be open at lunch and break and to be able to be reserved by other groups, teams or teachers on campus for their use. We have two students who serve as our Student Union commissioners that will oversee the running of the Student Union.”
Looking ahead, how do you believe the student union will age? Will its purpose or function change?
“I’m hoping that it won’t age but will continue to change to meet the needs of our campus. One thing that will help both our Student Union and new Weight Room last long is if students show respect and pride in these new buildings and take care of them. I really think they will. These two buildings are great additions to our school.”
Coach Crow
Lastly, a few details on the weight room from Coach Crow, who teaches the weight training class and coaches the JV and Varsity football teams:
What is the main purpose of the new weight room and how does it benefit our student body?
“The main purpose of the new weight room is to allow more students at Templeton High School access to weights and weight training classes. Also, the athletes at THS have access to more and better equipment to train for their sports. There are many benefits, one of the most important is that it is a safer space that we previously were using.”
Looking ahead, how do you believe the weight room will age? Will its purpose or function change?
“The old weight room lasted over 20 years and this is bigger and much better built. It should last for many years to come. I don’t see the purpose or function changing anytime soon. This new facility has been needed for years and we are extremely excited to have it for our students.”
Many thanks to Mr. Aston, Mr. Mac, and Coach Crow for their help with this article. If you’re interested in checking out the new weight room, stop by! As for the student union, we’re looking forward to its grand opening. These new facilities are wonderful resources for the students at THS, and we’re so excited to use them.
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