Fresno Unified unveiled a shiny new gym and additional tennis courts at McLane High School on Monday, granting students better amenities and more practice space.

“For year, students within the McLane Community have struggled with access to facilities to allow them to have equitable opportunities,” McLane Principal Brian Wulf said. “It’s very exciting for us. It’s very exciting for our community to have this opportunity.”

The new 15,500-square-foot gym provided an additional space for athletes to practice and compete. Prior to its opening, multiple sports teams had to share a single gym, causing scheduling conflicts. Now the school has two gyms, eliminating scheduling headaches for coaches and players.

Often times, students were forced to travel to alternative gyms at middle schools for practice, while another team was completing in a game.

And the space, built using Measure M funds, is more than just a nice upgrade. It is an investment in a school which had been cast aside, funding-wise.

“This gym is so much more than a building,” Superintendent Misty Her. “It’s giving students at McLane a space that reflects their worth and reinforces positive campus culture. It’s about equity and access.”

The new gym has installed a sense of pride in students with one remarking that it made him feel like he was arriving at a “rich school”, McLane Vice Principal Ramiro Teran said.

New Spaces for Students and the Community

But it’s not just for athletes. The space will be used for physical education classes and assemblies, there for all students to enjoy.

Additionally, it will be available for community events and local organizations.

Measure M, which passed in 2020 with 59.77% voter support, raised $325 million in construction bonds.

In addition to the gym, McLane’s $13 million project also features eight new tennis courts with adjacent restrooms, enabling the school to host official tennis tournaments.

Other new additions as part of the project are an outdoor basketball court and three outdoor volleyball courts., a district spokesperson said.

New Fresno Unified Facilities Boost School Pride

The new facilities are aimed at boosting athletic excellence and safety, through new equipment and additional space.

Boys and girls basketball, comprising six teams, had to share one gym. And towards the end of their season, volleyball teams were thrown into the mix.

Now, students will always have a space to practice available for them — eliminating travel and time constraints.

“The thing about us traveling to a different gym, we wouldn’t really have that much time because they have to close it at a certain time,” basketball player Demetrius Simon said, “So now that we have this, we can spend as much time as we want.”

Also, the gym has become the primary space for games, fueling pride in the school.

“The atmosphere (during the game) was great,” Teran said. “I mean, it was like I’d never seen before. And I think everybody was just excited. The community was excited about the new gym. Our teams have been excited about playing in the new gym.”

Simon echoed this sentiment saying he had “never felt so like pumped and energized before.”

The space is “empowering” for students and installs then with pride for their school, Teran said. And he has heard more pupils are excited to come to McLane because of the new spaces and great coaches.