What would you do with the additional space at the South Campus? The gymnasium addition allows us to improve the quality of our academic and athletic experiences at the Beresford School District. The additional court space would enable us to schedule practices immediately after school. During the winter, both basketball teams could be done by supper time, kids could be home at a decent hour, and the space would be available for community practices. More so, we could honor more requests regarding community youth practice sessions. Instead of having our dance team practice in the high school lobby or rent studio space, our dance team could practice in an area similar to where they compete. When we have our elementary, middle, and high school concerts, we would still be able to be ready for our concerts without needing to set up and clean up multiple times. Play practices would be free of interruptions caused by athletic practices. During the spring, we would be able to have space for indoor track, golf, and softball practices without utilizing our high school hallways and lobby as training areas by necessity. During the school day, our middle and high school physical education classes would not need to split court space while lunch preparations and clean up happen in the multi-purpose room. The gymnasium addition would allow youth tournaments to occur at one central location with five cross courts of action (e.g., three in the new space and two in our current gymnasium).
How often is our gymnasium space utilized by our school and community beyond games and performances? School and community organizations utilize Beresford School District gymnasium space throughout the school year. Depending upon games, matches, events, concerts, etc., student-athletes may practice before school starts or after school. School practices can start as early as 6:00 a.m. and end at/around 7:30 p.m./8:00 p.m. Community facility use varies depending upon available times (e.g., during November, December, or January; community groups working with elementary-aged children may be done at/around 9:00 p.m.). From August 2021 through May 2022, there were 755 scheduled gym requests for school practices, community practices, open gyms, craft fairs, etc. The total does not include scheduled game nights for basketball, volleyball, play performances, or denied requests. To see current and past requests, visit our Gym Calendar.