Fundraising, hard work and planning pay off with Hornets' newly renovated weight room
HILLSDALE — After nearly a year of hard work, dedication, planning, fundraising and painting, the Hillsdale High School was able to unveil the finished weight room renovations to the community of supporters who helped fundraise the project and staff and students of Hillsdale Community Schools.
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Dean of Students and Athletic Director David Pratt and Principal Josh Perrin led the ribbon cutting ceremony that opened the revitalized weight room facility at Hillsdale High School. The 2023 weight room renovation project brought much needed modernization to a facility that was last renovated nearly 25 years ago.
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The ceremony also honored and recognized Hillsdale teacher and coach Jerry Curby for his efforts spearheading the project and bringing to fruition a vision of what lies ahead for the future of health and exercise science programs for Hillsdale Community Schools students, staff and athletes.
The ceremony organizers also recognized and gave special thanks to Jeremy LaFollette and the maintenance staff for their efforts and input that were critical in making the renovation a success and Superintendent Shawn Vondra.
Curby, a teacher and coach with 30 years of experience, envisioned a new weight room facility that could be an inclusive environment for any student, whether they were an athlete or not. Curby helped plan and coordinate the first construction of the weight room nearly 25 years ago and saw the need for updates and changes to help revitalize the interest from the student body in fitness and health awareness.
The project was brought to the forefront after the decline in athletics and strength and conditioning participation was felt around the U.S. after the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the ceremony, Jerry Curby thanked everyone who supported the Hornet Power weight room renovation, including David Pratt, Shawn Vondra, and the custodial and maintence staffs led by Mike Baker and Jeremy LaFollete. He spoke about the importance of the Hornet Power weight room facility to the culture and spirit of Hillsdale High School.
"Hornet Power was established many, many years ago to not only for the purpose of enhancing the physical development of our student athletes but also to bolster the spirit and culture here at Hillsdale High School," Curby said. "Hornet Power continues our district's tradition of hard work, teamwork, enthusiastic commitment to improvement and is the cornerstone of what we're all about as an institution."
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From a vision to fulfillment
Nearly a year ago, fundraising efforts began by Curby and members of the Hornet Power Program and Hornet Power weight room at Hillsdale High School, Athletic Director David Pratt, the school board and superintendent Shawn Vondra.
The Hornet Power program, currently ran by Curby, saw student members participate in a local fundraising campaign that included a student-produced video that included testimonials from Hornet alumni.
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"The conversations started in late March, early April," Pratt said. "It kind of snowballed in May. We pitched it to students who picked one of the online fundraising formats. They got their numbers and started going and promoting it on social media. By mid-June, we had a check from that around $15-16,000."
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Those fundraising efforts, combined with donations from multiple corporations and companies paid off, with donations that neared $70,000. This included a $20,000 donation from the Hillsdale Athletic Boosters and a $12,500 grant from the Hillsdale County Community Foundation. Other major contributors to the fundraising efforts that made significant donations were Green Energy LP, Barry and Karen Hill, Aiden Rocha, Ken Stillwell Ford, The McCavit Family, Derek Kurtz, Hillsdale Hospital, Moore Insurance Services, Jason Foust, Nate English, Dayco Corporation, Walmart, Meijer of Hillsdale and the Vondra Family.
"We started getting business donations from corporations and companies around the local area. They kind of bolstered that with their own donations and then we asked the sports boosters for $20,000 to cap us off and get us to the finish line. By October, we had all the funds and board approval to move forward with the process. The school board kicked in for the new floor which was $17,000 dollars from the district."
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From there, everything was repainted, and new equipment was brought in.
"The company that we purchased the equipment from got our specs and school colors...They really took the time to put in the detail work, so it looks pretty sharp. It truly was a community project, and it shows that with the finished product."
A plaque dedicating many of the donations, individuals and businesses that helped the project come to fulfillment can be found at the top of the stairwell leading into the facility.
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The future
At the core of the weight room renovation was the idea of bringing back motivation and committed student interests that would fuel both athletics and classroom work at Hillsdale Community Schools.
Jerry Curby believes that the athletics programs at Hillsdale High School are an extension of the hard work students put in at the classroom, and he believes the new facilities and the renovation will help drive more commitment and more motivation from students at Hillsdale Community School to be more active in the classroom and on the field.
He left off his ceremony speech with a few challenges for staff and students in the near future.
"No. 1, go for maximum participation," Curby said. "Be inclusive, boys and girls, athletes and non-athletes. Students of all ability levels belong up here. Keep this a place where all Hornets can take pride. No. 2, stress the importance of hard work. Promote hard work. Remember that the most important ingredient in any strength training program isn't the types of lifts or machines or sets. It's how intensely you train. Intensity is the key, work hard.
"No. 3, take care of it. Treat it like you own it. Keep it picked up and well maintained. Educate students using science-based best practices. Teach everyone how to train effectively, safely and how to take care of this facility. No. 4, have an attitude of gratitude. Take the time to realize all the wonderful things in our lives and truly be grateful, especially for our weight room. And finally, No. 5, remember that the best is yet to come. Continue working, learning, and planning to make the Hornet Power program even better in the future."
The 2023-24 school year is the final one of service for Curby. Hillsdale principal Joshua Perrin believes that Curby deserves all of the recognition for his commitment and service to the students at Hillsdale. Perrin says that the weight room was Curby's vision for what the future of Hillsdale Community School District should be for students.
"As much as Jerry doesn't want to make it about himself, it was his vision," Perrin said. "The legacy he leaves is significant. At this point, he's getting ready to move into retirement and for him to sink as much energy into fueling this project as he did in his final year of service to the district, I think really speaks to his character about continuing to move that needle forward for our kids."
Next year will mark 150 years since Hillsdale's first graduating class. The district will be highlighting alumni over the 150 years. Perrin says everyone is looking forward to working on that project.
The weight room renovation, a vision from Curby to give future students the necessary tools to thrive on the field and in the classroom, is now a part of that 150-year history.
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This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: How Hillsdale School's new weight room renovation came to fulfillment
