BIBB COUNTY, Ga. — Northeast High School is getting a workout room upgrade, and it's all being paid for by a grant.
William Gordon is the assistant athletic director at the school and said over $60,000 worth of equipment is coming in October. The grant is from Innovative Fitness, a company that creates exercise equipment.
"It's a very great impact,” Northeast senior Nicholas Woodford said. “Now, us as athletes, we need all the equipment we need to be at our best. And new equipment will make us better athletes, better players and be in better shape to play."
Gordon said they applied for the grant to reach non-athletes too. Right now, they have a reflect room for students who need to mentally reset during the day, but what's been missing is a physical reset area.
"Sometimes when you have things going on outside the community, and it kind of carries the school, we don't always know how to address it,” Gordon said. “So sometimes kids just need to burn off some energy and great way to do that is to be able to come in and get on the exercise bike or maybe push some weights around."
Senior Azaley Person said she is excited for the space coming too.
"The only weight room we have is in the field house, which is for the football players, so it's not very often that girls get to go down there and be able to use the equipment freely,” she said. “So being here in the schoolhouse, we'll be able to use it freely. And that's just amazing to me."
But the space won't just be blocked off for students, staff will be able to use it too. Person said exercising helps clear her mind.
"It makes me feel like I can be in control of something when it's stuff at school that I can't control,” she said. “So, it helps me release anger in positive ways."
Gordon said the equipment will be delivered and the renovation will happen in October. He said developing the total child is a goal of Northeast High School, and he believes exposing them to physical fitness strategies is another way to do that.
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