Beggs, Oklahoma ISD Cuts Ribbon On New Gym

February 16, 2006

by Freda Parker

"They love it," said ISD Superintendent Marsha Norman when asked how her district's 1073 elementary, middle and high school students liked their new gymnasium and event center.

On January 24, 2006 the students participated in their school district's grand opening of the facility -- a Monolithic Dome with a diameter of 160 feet, built on a 24-foot Orion stem wall. It can accommodate more than 2000 spectators and a variety of sport and school activities.

According to Ms. Norman, the grand opening was a big event for this small, rural town of just 4.3 square miles and 1364 people. Most of those residents plus many from outlying areas that the school serves attended. Ms. Norman estimated the crowd at between 1400 and 1500.

The celebration featured a ribbon-cutting ceremony, a keynote address by former graduate Rod Thompson who is now with Cox Cable TV, a few other speeches and an auction of reserved seats.

The audience included Oklahoma State Representative Dale Turner, County Commissioner Roger Ballenger and OSSAA Associate Executive Ed Robinson. (OSSAA stands for Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association, a private, nonprofit organization that oversees school sports and activities.)

Asked how the adults -- both visitors and residents -- liked the dome, Ms. Norman said, "Oh, they love it too. It's a little loud -- but the kids don't seem to mind that and the crowd really didn't seem to mind. But sometimes, because of the reverberation, it was a little hard to understand the speaker. So we are going to see what we can do about that.

"Otherwise, we have no complaints, and I have not heard any negatives. The response has been very, very positive. It's a really neat facility."

More Dome News

Beggs, Oklahoma ISD Cuts Ribbon On New Gym

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