Spirits were high as applause carried through the Thomas Edison Junior/Senior High School gymnasium on Tuesday, November 29. Members of the school board and athletic department gathered together between the Lake Station and Gary West Side junior varsity and varsity basketball games to celebrate the completion of a major project years in the making.
“They're being honored this evening as we celebrate the replenishing of our gym floor,” said Superintendent of Lake Station Community Schools Tom Cripliver. “It has been over 20 years since our gym floor had a new varnish put on, and new symbols and stickers put on the floor. With that being the occasion, we want to really recognize that artwork and recognize our new gym floor.”
The updates to the floor were finalized this evening with the snap of large metallic scissors through a strand of ribbon. On the floor for this special ceremony included Girls Varsity Basketball Coach Rudy Chabes, Boys Varsity Basketball Coach Bob Berg, Athletic Director Jeff Bean, Head Cheerleading Coach Susie Matejczyk, School Board Vice President David Wright, Board Secretary Larry Biggs, and Board Member Kevin Usyk. Cripliver also noted that while Board President Greg Tenorio and Board Member Karen Curtis were unable to attend due to prior commitments, they still shared their Eagle pride from afar.
That Eagle pride also carried well throughout the rest of the room. As a school corporation that's always committed to putting its students first, this project is expected to greatly benefit the many kids who use the gym, whether it be for athletics, special events, or anything in between.
“Our philosophy is we're here for our students. They're ours. They're our kids,” Cripliver said. “This is something really special not only for the boys basketball game, which is going on this evening, but for our girls varsity basketball program, and, of course, the volleyball program and the other athletic events and seasons that we have. We really wanted to show our pride in our students by having the opportunity to do the gym floor.”
This wouldn’t have been complete without the support of the school board as well, and Cripliver is very thankful they were excited and looking forward to greenlighting the project.
“I was just very, very excited,” Cripliver said. “I was thrilled that we were able to do the floor,” he said. “The board of school trustees approved it; they supported it, and this is something that we were able to do for our students here at Lake Station Edison.”
Lake Station is proud to provide numerous opportunities for students in and out of the classroom. The school system offers a wide range of athletic and academic opportunities for all grade levels, easily setting each and every student up for success to help best prepare them for life after graduation.
“I'm very proud of what we're able to offer our students here at Lake Station schools, not only the extracurricular and athletic programs, but also our academic programs,” Cripliver said. “We look to expand on those opportunities for our students to get dual credit. For example, we have AP classes and those kinds of things to help advance them as they move on in their education, whether that be higher level education, or whether that be directly to the world of work or to the military. We try to work hard with our students and prepare them as best we can, and we are very blessed to have very very good students here at Lake Station schools, both in our elementary level and here at our Junior/Senior High School.”
For more information, visit lakes.k12.in.us/eh.
