By SEAN BOSTON
Hutch Post
NICKERSON, Kan. — Nickerson High School celebrated a milestone Thursday with a ribbon-cutting for its renovated weight room, a project years in the making and one school leaders say represents a larger commitment to the success of student-athletes.
The space was gutted this summer after the Panthers’ strength program concluded its final workout. Old flooring and racks were removed and relocated to Reno Valley Middle School, giving younger athletes their own six-rack training facility. Panther Pride, the school’s booster club, repainted the room and helped give it what head football coach Parker Bruce called a “face lift.” New LED lighting, flooring and racks followed, transforming the space into a brighter and more functional facility.
“Anything worthwhile is going to take a long process,” Bruce said. “It’s been a little longer than what we wanted, but now seeing it in person, it’s totally worth it.”
Bruce said seeing the reactions from students when they walked into the weight room for the first time Thursday morning at the school assembly underscored the project’s importance.
“It’s just awesome to know, for them to know, and for us to know that they know that there is an investment into their success and to the process of success,” he said. “A lot of people think it’s just a football thing. It’s every athlete, every student in here that comes through our weight room will be able to use this facility and be able to use this equipment.”
Athletic director Devin Maxwell, a Nickerson graduate, said the project represents how far the school has come since his own high school days.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Maxwell said. “It’s been nice to see the change from when I was here in high school to what it is now, and just the investment everything. It’s nice to show the kids like, hey, we believe in you. We trust in you. Let’s get things changed and get things moving.”
Maxwell has reshaped the athletic department since taking over, hiring a mix of experienced leaders and young coaches to rebuild programs across the board. That includes bringing in Bruce for football, Trish Wade in volleyball, Terrence Williams in boys basketball and Kelly Cannon in softball.
“I truly believe in the school and the kids, and truly believe that we are better than what we have been in the past, and all it takes is just coaches and people to believe in the kids so they can believe in themselves,” Maxwell said.
Both Bruce and Maxwell said the updated facility is only the beginning. The project signals to students that they are supported and that the school’s culture is shifting toward higher standards.
“It’s fun to see the excitement,” Maxwell said. “I’m hoping that the excitement builds and continues to build, and they can get in there and they know, I mean, that we believe in them, and that they can just do big things.”
Maxwell added that more upgrades could be ahead as the school continues investing in its athletic infrastructure.
“Hopefully, I mean, we start to change the culture to a winning culture, and one that we can be proud of, back to how I truly believe we could be,” he said. “Hopefully some more investment into, there’s talks of renovating the concession stand and things like that.”
For Bruce, the weight room is more than racks and flooring. It’s a visible sign to athletes and the community that Nickerson is committed to restoring tradition and pride.
“This shows people want them to succeed and wanting them to get better,” he said. “It’s just all around great.”