Westfield Bank president James C. Hagan presents $10,000 check to WHS phys ed teacher Gabe Crane for fitness room equipment. Also pictured are WHS principal Charles Jendrysik, teacher Tyler Wingate and athletic director Daniel Trudeau. (Photo submitted)
WESTFIELD – On Monday, Westfield Bank president James Hagan presented a check of $10,000 to the Westfield High School physical education department to update and outfit the fitness room at the school.
“Basically, a lot of equipment right now is dated. We’re looking to buy new equipment to create the best learning environment in our physical education classes for our students,” said WHS Principal Charles Jendrysik.
Jendrysik said Physical Education teacher Gabe Crane came to him about the need, and he encouraged him to speak with Mr. Hagan at Westfield Bank.
“Jim is so involved in the community,” said Crane, adding that he has helped out at WHS and Westfield Technical Academy before.
Crane said the department had been brainstorming about how to update their equipment. He said Hagan was gracious enough to accept a meeting. “His vision is aligned with the way educators want to do things,” he said. They met again, put together a proposal, crunched the numbers and the bank came back with the “incredibly generous” donation.
Crane said they plan to purchase some major pieces of equipment with the funds, including a twenty-four foot rig with six bays for squatting, benching, and pull-ups. They will also purchase new cardio and weight-lifting equipment.
Crane said the new equipment will be part of a larger plan for the department, which was set in motion when high school and middle school staff attended a Cross Fit Level 1 certification course a few years ago. He said in rewriting the curriculum, they knew they needed to update the fitness room.
“It’s a tremendous start with the check,” Crane said. The team is now seeking additional grants to continue their plans. He said currently the focus is equipment-based, and this first donation will help to furnish the room. “We’re not done looking for grants and donations, to help chip away at it,” he said, adding that the equipment is expensive and based on weight, the heavier the weight, the more it costs.
WHS requires four years of physical education for students. Crane said with class sizes of 20 to 30 students they need to have enough items to facilitate training.
“As we rewrite and develop the curriculum, we’re brainstorming ideas so they’re able to get fitness all four years,” Crane said, adding that the fitness room was last updated in 2004, before he got there. Crane is in his thirteenth year of teaching at WHS.
