The small gym floor was re-sanded and given a top coat over the summer by District Facilities to improve the appearance of the gym as well as creating a safer floor so the athletes won’t slip.  

The small gym floor had been slowly deteriorating throughout the years. Although the floor was still playable, it had become cracked and yellowed. The multiple layers of clear coat began to peel up, creating an inconsistency with the floor and its appearance. 

“There are a lot of blemishes, and even some holes and some dips,”  Physical Education teacher Brett Bevill said. “I mean if I was going to play basketball I would realize immediately that it’s a really poor surface.”  

The refurbishing process has been a plan for a few years, but District Facilities had to work around summer school and the constant maintenance of other gyms in the district.

“Out of the 15 years that I have been here, this has been the first time that we’ve been redoing it,” Activities Director Mike Janes said. “It’s been a really good floor, it’s held up really good. There wasn’t really a need until the last few years when it really got slick.”

During the renovation, the floors were sanded down and given a new top coat. New logos were added to give a more modern appearance by a company called Missouri Flooring. The new logos include a sword and shield, as well as ‘Knights’ spelled out on the edge of the court.

“We wanted to keep it really simple,” said Janes. “We just changed the font so it matched, and I did get some input from coaches. This year was a little different because we’re hiring a new basketball coach for boys and a new basketball coach for girls, but I also took it to the administration team.” 

Even though the floor has been redone, plans are still being made to improve the small gym.

“I’m hoping to get the small gym painted,” Janes said. “I’ve asked for that even before the gym floor was redone, but they’re just so busy during the summer.”