Most schools come with one area that all kids seem to love: the gym. This is where people learn about staying fit and playing sports. Also, this is also the place where a bit of anger can be released as occasionally people may throw a dodgeball at another’s face in a moment of jealousy or bickering. Anyway, there’s one new thing that is important in the St. Robert gym. No, not the games and sports – its the sound system, and St. Robert’s system just got a big improvement.

Over summer break of 2018, St. Robert got a new speaker system. This will be the 3rd new thing added to the gym of Saint Robert in the past few years. The other two additions were a drinking fountain and new gym floor. St. Robert keeps seeing progress and change in the gym, but some question why did the school choose to get the speakers in the first place?

The idea came from the Athletic Association. They were hoping to improve the sound  for weekend games with something that would benefit the school along with the parish, which also uses the space for events. Also, the association felt that the speakers needed to be replaced as they were outdated. St. Robert has been around for about 100 years, and there has been lots of uses for the gym since it was built in the late 50s. Mrs. Beckman, the principal of the school,  explained, “Our gym was built in 1959, so [it] has 60 years of hard use of the gym, the athletic program, and the parish. The recent upgrades to the floor and sound systems were needed because the old floor and sound system were worn out and out of date.” Mr. Jefferson, the gym teacher for Saint Robert, said, “Some places get used a lot, like the gym [which] gets [worn] out faster, so they need to be replaced.”

Despite the clear need for a new system, cost was a roadblock the Athletic Association had to figure out. The speaker is super expensive, roughly $10,000. The Athletic Association and parish helped raise the money to get the speakers. Mrs. Beckman states, “The Athletic Association helped select the vendor and equipment, and [they] paid for the project with proceeds from the Golf Outing.” The speakers now work with wireless bluetooth technology, so they can be activated and controlled with a press of a button far from the speaker itself. This helped improve the sound system because the old speakers didn’t reach all throughout the gym, so people couldn’t hear the sound in some places. With the new speakers, people can hear it from all around.

Lastly, the students and teachers will hopefully like the speakers as before it was hard to hear in the gym, but the new speakers fixes that problem. Mr. J says, “It is for the assemblies, sports events, and some gym classes.” While Mrs Beckman says,  “…I know the students will love the crisp, clear sounds for assemblies… and weekend events.” Now the students will hear clear announcer for the events, which they will love.

In conclusion, the new speakers are a great new addition to the gym at St. Robert. With the crisp, clear sound and the loudness of the new system, assembles and events for the school will be made better. Also, the whole community should thank the Athletic Association as it was through their help that the speakers are here. This is one of many new additions that will help to make the school grow.