By WESLIE GRAHAM
Moapa Valley Progress
Community members gathered on Thursday last week to celebrate the dedication of the new Moapa Valley High School gymnasium ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony.
Festivities began at 5:30 p.m. on the practice field just east of the new facility. The Moapa Valley Boosters Club organized an array of activities for families along with a community cook-out. Over 1,000 people were served for the meal.
MVHS athletic teams and student groups provided a carnival of games for children and adults alike. These included sack races, a dunk tank, line dancing, face painting and more.
Tiffany’s Pies and Subs owner Scott Carson and his staff set up a booth to serve Hawaiian Shave Ice to the crowd.
Just before 6:30 p.m. a group of people gathered at the entrance of the new gym for the ribbon cutting. Cutting the blue and gold ribbon with a pirate cutlass was School Board Trustee Chris Garvey. She was assisted by County
Commissioner Tom Collins, former principal Grant Hanevold and Logandale resident and local education advocate Dr. Larry Moses. Also involved with the ribbon cutting were current MVHS principal Rod Adams, CCSD Chief
Student Achievement Officer Mike Barton and representatives of the construction contractor and architectural firm involved with the building.
Following the ribbon cutting the crowd filled the stands of the new gym for a dedicatory presentation. “Wow!” and “This is huge!” were words frequently heard by those entering the new facility for the first time.
Student Body President Ethan Seely called the assembly to order and led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance. He then turned the meeting over to Principal Rod Adams.
Adams addressed the crowd explaining that the process of obtaining a new gymnasium for the high school began over 16 years ago.
“Our seniors this year were just babies when we started this project,” he said.
Adams described the efforts made by many including parents, students, community leaders, teachers, past administrators, elected officials, the architectural firm and the construction company who built the gym. Adams expressed appreciation for everyone who was involved in the process.
“That’s what makes this community the best anywhere,” he said.
Booster President Wendy Mulcock also addressed the crowd.
“This gym was built for our kids,” she said. “We cheer for our kids like nobody else does.”
“Why do we love sports so much?” she asked, continuing to explain that each sporting event is like a “miniature lifetime” with drama and emotion, thrills and adversity.
She encouraged the community to “come and watch our Pirates shine.”
Former MVHS principal Grant Hanevold spoke next. He said that the need for a new gym had been a lingering concern from day one of his career at school, with community members frequently inquiring as to when it would be built.
“This didn’t happen by accident,” he said.
He described the hours of hard work and determination required by those who were instrumental in making the project a reality.
“(It took) many people coming together for a common goal,” he said. “This community needs it and these kids deserve it.”
County Commissioner Tom Collins explained that the gym was of great importance, in part because it had been promised to the community.
“It was promised!” he said. “You gotta keep promises.”
Collins expressed love for the community and said that taxpayer dollars were what made the project happen.
Clark County School Board Trustee Chris Garvey was praised for her persistence and dedication in getting funding for the new gym approved by the School Board.
She also expressed fondness for the Moapa Valley community.
“I hope this is the first of many community events you invite me to,” she said.
In closing, Adams spoke to students of all ages emphasizing that the new building is now their gym. He advised them all to take care of it.
The assembly ended with the crowd standing and singing the MVHS Fight Song, led by the cheerleading squad and accompanied by the Pep Band.
