Poplar Finishes Gym Floor Project

Fresh Look

Poplar High School’s student athletes will have the opportunity to play on a freshly remodeled gym floor this upcoming school year.

The gym floor now features a colored Native American head at midcourt along with Moccasin Square Garden printed clearly on the floor.

“Anytime you do a project like the floor it really brings a sense of pride to the school and community,” Poplar Superintendent of Schools Keith Erickson said.

The project cost about $85,000, with the school district paying about $60,000. The other $15,000 comes from Independence Bank through its school spirit debit card program. A logo of Independence Bank is featured on the gym floor.

“That exemplifies the giving back by the people with the card,” Erickson said.

Western Sports Floors performed the work. The process took about three weeks.

Poplar High School Principal Frank “Bosh” Gourneau III is impressed by the professional work done.

“It’s all nice,” Gourneau said. “I like it. It’s long overdue.”

He especially admires the way that the Indian head looks at midcourt.

“It makes it standout,” Gourneau said of the colored image. “So it’s not so plain.”

School officials say they have heard positive comments when a video and photos of the improvements were posted on Facebook.

A hope is that Poplar can host a district basketball tournament in an upcoming year. Officials note that the school district has two usable gyms for a tournament.

Gourneau added that high school students are excited about the floor.

“They are already trying to get on it to play,” Gourneau said.