A gym is a necessity for a school. Students attend assemblies there, athletes compete in sports events there, and sports teams practice there. Not having a gym available for a school is like not having a bowl for your cereal. It’s unacceptable. Kent-Meridian students know this feeling far too well. KM has lost its gym for the 2010-2011 school year. Construction started on the gym this previous summer. The goal is to modernize the gym for KM students.

Although it is a good idea, it has been troublesome for not only KM’s students, but also the staff members. The gym being under construction has not let P.E. classes and sports teams use the gym. The sports teams have had to practice and compete at other high schools, even for their home games.

Varsity basketball player Jordan Walker said the gym being under construction is "tough because the team has to go down to Mill Creek to practice." When asked how it has affected him individually as a player he said, "It was annoying because I had to play on slippery floors and in little gyms."

P.E. teacher and coach Rachel Watanabe has been inconvenienced by this. She said, "This move has definitely affected students and players. Students are affected because we have limited space to play games and have to be indoors/outdoors depending on weather. Gymnasts have been affected because they don’t have true home meets or senior night. [With] only having a few meets a season, we were not able to have our usual senior night so we were lucky KW allowed us to recognize our seniors at the All-City meet."

When asked how the gym being under construction affected her as a coach/teacher, she said, "I have to deal with all of this. We have to walk forever to get anywhere. Teach random things in weird places. We have to be more creative. We don’t have a place to eat lunch, offices, or restrooms. We are basically cut off from the rest of the school. We have stinky loud portables to work in."

As you see the gym being under construction was a nuisance to all. It has affected students, staff members, athletes, and coaches. Everyone at KM will be looking forward to the completion of our gym, and hopefully they finish up on time. Dr. Barringer said the construction should be completed by the first day of school next year.