Fayetteville High School’s new arena includes basketball courts, a scoreboard with video monitors, a weight room, 200-meter track, trophy room, wrestling gym and a dance studio.


For The Future BRACING


Fayetteville High School in Arkansas improves facilities in preparation for influx of students, sports teams


By Kevin Hoffman, Managing Editor R 28


enovations of this magnitude rarely go smoothly. There are the typical budgetary


hiccups, preventing athletic depart- ments from building the facilities they need. There are weather inter- ruptions, setting projects months behind schedule. There also are the political battles, waged with com- munity members or school boards who may not agree with the plans. Administrators at Fayetteville High School in northwest Arkansas experienced little of that. That’s be-


May/June 2013


cause this was a project the district couldn’t afford to do without. In two years, the high school’s population will increase by more than 30 percent when it welcomes the ninth grade. The school current- ly houses 10th through 12th grades, and the upcoming expansion high- lighted the need for more space and better facilities.


Athletic directors often expect to encounter pushback when embark- ing on large capital projects, but this was something different. The district didn’t just want the renova- tion—it needed it.


“The ninth grade coming in really was a catalyst in making sure we had adequate facilities for when they move up to the high school, and we really had some facilities that were in need of repair,” says Superintendent Vicki Thomas. “With them coming up, it was criti- cal we got those fixed. We basically worked really hard to find a reve- nue stream without having to go to the community.”


Rebuilding Project The renovation of Fayetteville’s athletic facilities, which began


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