The brand new locker room beams brown, gold, and the Spartan pride of our athletes. photo courtesy of Anne Rice
The new locker room boosts the morale of many Spartan athletes.
Thomas Jefferson High School made another grand new addition to the already reconstructed school, but this one has flown under the radar of many. In the early winter, TJ was able to construct a brand new locker room. The locker room was the latest update to TJ after the library was completely redone and front desk and lobby renovations were made. With bright yellow and soft brown lockers, the new room screams Spartan pride. Athletic Director, Anne Rice, described the goal of putting in a new locker room: “We wanted to give the teams a place where they felt like they had something special.”
Before this new renovation, TJ had the same locker room since the school was founded in 1960. The old locker room was certainly subpar and many Spartans wanted to be proud of the space. The vision for the new room was driven by first year head football coach Mike Griebel. When he first came to TJ and witnessed the former locker room, Griebal instantly saw a need for change and began putting a plan into action. Ultimately, he reached his goal of constructing a new locker room for the athletes in the school. Boys’ basketball Coach, Grant Laman, said “having this updated locker room gives the school a somewhat of a college style, which sets the bar higher for TJ.” Before these renovations, the basketball teams wouldn’t even bother using the old locker room. Rather, they changed in a small office space. The new room offers an open area to change, gameplan, and motivate athletes.
The funding for the locker room didn’t come fully from the school. TJ actually reached out to former alumni and asked for donations solely through email. This request was well received as countless alumni were more than thrilled to donate back to their high school. One alumnus stated that he wouldn’t be where he is in life without TJ and would gladly put money back into the school. The donations ended up functioning in a very unique way. Essentially, each donor sponsored a locker with their donation, and their names are now on a plaque hanging over their respective lockers. Examples of these alumni included Derrick Martin and Rockies pitcher, Kyle Freeland. This allows Spartan athletes to be connected through generations which boosts the sense of community here at TJ.
The renovations to TJ aren’t over with this boys’ locker room. A new girls’ locker room is coming soon, and will be a replica of the boys’. The funding for this locker room will work the same way. The administration is currently reaching out to alumni once more to receive donations for the girls’ locker room. The new renovation will begin in the spring season and hopefully will be finished over the summer. With these two new locker rooms, TJ is creating a professional and prideful environment for their athletes.
