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El Mirador Gymnasium sparkles thanks to generous families

El Mirador Gymnasium is a bustling hub of The Gregory School campus, hosting practices and games for our basketball and volleyball teams, PE classes, team meetings, pep rallies, school assemblies, and Tucson community events including indoor soccer and futsal, tournaments of all kinds, camps, college fairs, and more. It is fitting then, that thanks to the generosity of donors and the hard work of students, families, and faculty, El Mirador now sparkles with exciting upgrades and additions.

The makeover began in the fall semester, when a very generous family donated the funds to purchase and install two new state-of-the-art scoreboards. “We are so proud to have these,” Athletic Director Angela Earnhart said. “They make the gym look fantastic and they have many more features.” For example, during games, we can now display player numbers along with their stats and update these immediately from the control board. We would like to add an ambitious second phase to this project by way of a video board, which would come with an educational component, allowing students to take production classes.

Also in the fall, student athlete Remington Stagg ‘23 asked Coach Earnhart to create a Friday Exploration to clean up what was then called the “war room,” a meeting room upstairs in El Mirador. I watch a lot of college sports and see all of the nice facilities different universities have around the country, and I thought TGS was ready to have facilities for student athletes to be proud of,” Remington said. The group cleaned, painted the walls and bulletin boards and made signs in the Fab Lab. Steve and Susann Richards, Remington’s grandparents, got involved, generously donating a new TV, carpet, shelving, and a phone charging station. Families provided a small refrigerator (which parents keep well stocked!) and other furnishings, and Raytheon donated beautiful new chairs. 

The meeting room upgrades didn’t stop there. Mrs. Julia Conroy and her seventh grade art students drew up plans for a mural to cover one wall, and the winning design was completed in March, topped off with an eegee’s party for the artists. Finally, captains from each Upper School athletic team met to select a new name for the room and The Perch was born. Bobby McMahon ‘23 created the official sign in the Fab Lab as the finishing touch.

“The Perch is a place where teams can go to watch game film, have pre- and post-game meetings, and study on late practice nights,” Coach Earnhart said. “Because the kids worked on it, they are invested in their space and take care of it. They hold other students accountable for keeping it neat.”

The most recent addition to El Mirador is the “Go Hawks!” curtain in front of the stage, separating the strength and conditioning area from the court. It gives the gym a finished, updated look and adds a healthy dose of school spirit. The curtain is a tangible example of a purchase made possible by donations to the Annual Fund. 

Families who are interested in supporting TGS athletics should contact Angela Earnhart, Director of Athletics at aearnhart@gregoryschool.org.