New Gym is Open for Business

Olivia Fields, Freshman Staff Writer

After more than a year of construction, the new gym has opened its doors to the public. Principal Rhodarmer cut the ribbon on December 20th, 2019. Construction began in the Spring of 2018 and was funded by two of the state penny taxes, known as ESPLOST. These are taxes that give schools and businesses a penny for every retail purchase. It was enacted in 2017 by a referendum in the Armuchee community.

The first games were on Janurary 4, 2020 against unity with JV boys, varsity girls, and varsity boys all winning. The Girl’s Basketball Team was the first to break in the new court with a close victory against Model, 57-55, on January 7th, 2020. Coach Arp stated, “The longer court is definitely a home-court advantage, especially with the bigger spacing. We conditioned on that court, and it is larger than the others, so we were in better shape, I think.” It’s true, the court has been extended and is much longer than the court in the main gym. The community of Armuchee didn’t disappoint either, filling almost every seat. “It was like a fresh start, and it brought us all together,” said sophomore and varsity basketball player, Olivia Moses.

Although it is a competition gym, Principal Rhodarmer has high hopes for this new space, saying, “Any new facility will bring excitement. It makes you feel prideful for what’s been built. It is a space to do more, like host different clubs outside of the school.” The capacity as been nearly doubled with over 1450 seats and a larger area for the concession booths. The locker rooms have also been improved with larger showers and more space for the players. Coach Arp has even taken the time to customize the girl’s locker room with a few couches and wall decorations. All in all, the gym is totally new and will be receiving new equipment very soon.

Principal Rhodarmer delivering his opening speech at the ribbon-cutting.
Principal Rhodarmer about to cut the ribbon.