GREEN SEA, SC (WBTW) – Green Sea Floyds Middle School was chosen as one of 12 in the country to receive a $100,000 grant for a “Don’t Quit!” state-of-the-art fitness center.
“It was like a dream come true,” said leadership teacher Richard Gore. The grant came from the National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Councils, and Green Sea Floyds Middle was one of three schools chosen in South Carolina.
School officials said the new facility will be inside the middle school and will become a part of the Health and Wellness curriculum for students. “We want to make it a lifestyle choice where kids can take it on past high school,” said Gore. There will be equipment to help with cardio and strength training, and he said it will also help students monitor things like weight loss.
“Our students don’t have access to places that have a lot of physical activity,” said Gore. “So we just felt like it’s just such a big need for us here.”
Gore said because they are in a rural part of the county, many people don’t have the resources to go to a recreation or fitness center, so they are looking into opening up the fitness center to the rest of the community as well.
“This school is the community, and the community is this school,” said Principal of Green Sea Floyds Middle, Dr. Andrea Pridgen. “We look forward to the relationship opportunity to extending this grant opportunity into our community by opening the doors of our school.”
The foundation will install the fitness center over the summer and the school will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony in October. “We look forward to instilling in our students just the opportunity and awareness of a health and fitness lifestyle,” said Dr. Pridgen.