The growth Sacred Heart of Jesus High School is experiencing took its next step, when the school, located at 146 McClellan Road, held its ground breaking ceremony for its new Merwin/Hunt Gymnasium and dedicated the Eunice M. Jones Elite Performance Center, Thursday.
“This is such a great opportunity for us here as a school, but also as a greater faith community,” said Ann Keyl, president of Sacred Heart of Jesus High School. “This project has been in the making well over 10 years, and with prayer and dedication from donors from St. Mary’s Parish seeing a need for our students, we were able to bring to life this project of the gym, and the gym project inspired the donation of the turf room.”
The Jones Elite Performance Center was made possible through a generous donation to Sacred Heart of Jesus High School by Dr. Adam Smith and wife, Biz.
An orthopedic surgeon with the West Tennessee Bone & Joint Clinic, Dr. Smith is recognized as an advocate for strength and conditioning for athletes of all ages – especially those competing on the high school level.
“To be able to be part of this project for Sacred Heart is fantastic,” Dr. Smith said. “I think it’s going to be a real important piece to help their athletes train and maximize their ability. For my family, it’s wonderful to be a small part of this major renovation and expanding project that’s underway … a rewarding experience for us.”
The Eunice M. Jones Elite Performance Center, which consists of 6,000-square-feet, was named for the late grandmother of Dr. Smith’s wife.
The 22,000-square-foot Merwin/Hunt Gymnasium, a $2.1 million project, is joint venture of Sacred Heart of Jesus High School and St. Mary’s School.
With seating for 600, the arena will include locker room facilities, a weight room, concession stand, trainer’s room, yoga room, laundry and storage space.
Scheduled to open in early Spring of 2019, the Merwin/Hunt Gymnasium becomes home to both Sacred Heart of Jesus High School and St. Mary’s Middle School basketball teams.
The facility will also be available for use by Parochial Athletic League teams – and other organizations when scheduling allows.
“Previously we had to rent facilities for large games, and now both the middle school and the high school have a gym large enough to facilitate home games,” Ann Keyl said. “The sense of pride that are apparent on our students faces is heart warming.
“They stand with a sense of pride now, as they can walk out to the Monsignor Kirk Athletic Complex and onto Masterson Baseball field – and now onto the courts of their very own facility.”
(PHOTO: Ann Keyl, president of Sacred Heart of Jesus High School, is pictured with John Barlowe, the school’s athletic director)
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