MANCHESTER, NH – West High School athletics just received a major boost from a local health club.
The Blue Knights – including students, athletes and staff – will now be able to workout in style – and function – thanks to a $125,000 donation in modern fitness equipment from Zoo Health Club owners Ed Baroody and Julian Pecorino.
“This donation helps to give West High School a much more modern and functional weight room that will benefit all students, athletics programs, faculty and the physical education classes,” said West head football coach Andrew Provencher.
Included in the sizable gift are five full commercial squat racks with benches, a smith machine, barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, medicine balls and plates.
“The squat racks are the most important item as it will allow for more students to complete their lifts in a safe and efficient manner,” said Provencher.
Manchester School District officials formally accepted the donation of like-new equipment at the Aug. 25 Board of School Committee meeting, and Wednesday, they joined West High School coaches and athletes, as well as Baroody and Pecorino, for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony at WHS.
“As local business owners and longtime supporters of youth athletics, we believe in the power of sports to teach discipline, teamwork and perseverance,” said Baroody and Pecorino in a joint press release. “We’re excited to invest in West High School and give students the tools they need to succeed—both on and off the field.”
Baroody also noted plans are in the works for similar upgrades at Manchester Memorial and Manchester Central in the near future.
“This is a great example of the power of local businesses investing in their community,” said Provencher. “We can’t thank Julian, Ed and everyone at Zoo Health enough for this amazing donation and know it will help the lives of many students while helping us continue to improve our program.”
Provencher said the donation also compliments the $25,000 grant the program received from T-Mobile’s Friday Night Lights promotion last fall as it allows the school to focus those funds on other areas of need.
“One example is that due to this weight room donation, we were able to use some of the money to replace the outdoor stadium speakers,” he said. “Some of the T-Mobile money has also been used to add some small equipment needs and cosmetic updates to the weight room such as paint and educational posters.”
In addition to the new equipment, West student-athletes remained the weight room as well to put an exclamation point on the facelift.
“Today is a reminder of what can happen when people work together for a common goal,” said former Manchester Board of School Committee student representative Jamie Ceniceros, who helped spearhead the upgrades.
“When I first started advocating for a new weight room here at West High, I knew it wasn’t something I could do alone. It took voices joining in to make this dream a become a reality,” he said. “The new weight room isn’t just about equipment. It’s an example of how, when working together, everything is possible.”
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