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Fans of Ulysses Tigers basketball and volleyball will notice a change next year after the USD 214 Board of Trustees approved the refinishing of the court.
The typical maintenance on the gym floor is to sand it down and do an overlay every year so the finish builds up over time.
“The new gym has never been sanded down,” said Superintendent Corey Burton, adding the floor was put down in 2002. “They kind of recommend about every 12 years that you do that.”
Every time the floor is sanded down, you lose life of the floor because it gets thinner, Burton said.
“So, we got 20 years out of it and probably extended the life, but it’s probably time to do it,” he added, saying the floor is old yellow because of the finish that’s on it over the years. “We’ll be taking it all the way down to the wood, then repaint the floor and put a finish over the top of it.
Athletic Director Travis McAtee requested quotes for the cost and received two – one from a company in Montezuma and one from a company in Coffeyville. The lowest bid was $21,750, but Burton said just to overlay a new finish would cost $6,800.
McAtee said new gym floors are getting away from an oil-based finish in favor of a water-based finish.
“They look completely different,” McAtee said. “They’re much lighter. Instead of seeing sheen across the whole floor, you see the wood, you see the grain.”
Schools who have switched to the water-based finish don’t paint the floor as much. The floor at UHS will have a distinctively different look.
“We considered going gray inside the 3-point line – again, it’s a gray stain so you’ll still see the grain – because of all the gray in our bleachers,” McAtee said. “So, it’s like pulling it all together.”
The word “Ulysses” will be along each baseline, with “Tigers” along the sideline, although McAtee wants to change the font. The floor will have a lot less orange except for orange lettering on the baseline outlined in black, similar to the UHS on the bleachers.
“There’s all kinds of things you can do,” McAtee added. “Trying to get away from too busy looking, but yet a whole new look, a whole new design that updates us.”
Ulysses is overdue, McAtee said, adding he could list local schools who have gone through the process twice in the time since Ulysses last changed its floor.
Volleyball lines will be painted on the floor, as opposed to taping the lines down during volleyball season. The adhesive could be problematic with the new finish.
The volleyball coach put down pink tape for pink out night, but it would need to be removed immediately so it doesn’t have to set and damage the finish.
“We’re way past the window that people are using to do this,” McAtee said.
The trustees approved the bid from Koehn’s Flooring of Montezuma for $41,750.
In other business:
νTrustees heard a report from McAtee regarding “Uncommon Leadership,” a student leadership group McAtee started in 2021-2022.
The group consists of 32 students – 16 boys and 16 girls – four from each class.
“The idea was not to just go and get our ‘best’ leader kids,” McAtee said. “Have some of those, but also try to pinpoint some kids who have the potential to be leaders, but just don’t have the tools.
“Or maybe they’re leading, but maybe leading the wrong way.”
Uncommon Leadership is not a community service group.
“It’s not going out in the community (and) interacting a lot out there,” McAtee said. “It’s whole purpose is to figure out what we need to do better in the building with our kids, with our teachers, everybody involved.”
Students identified school spirit and pride, school environment, student-student relationships, and student-teacher relationships. Students eventually decided to combine the groups.
“It’s directed by them,” McAtee said. “Everything this group does is their decision; what is needed and what’s best at the high school.”
νThe trustees heard a presentation from Kepley Middle School science teacher Kim Sandoval, who is leading seventh graders Aubrey Hegwood and Bain Anderson to the international KidWind competition next month in Phoenix, Az., as has been previously reported in The Ulysses News.
Sandoval, along with parent Jennifer Hegwood will drive the kids to and from Arizona.
While the students are doing fundraisers to raise the $6,000 needed to compete, Superintendent Corey Burton recommended the board give $1,000 toward travel expenses. Sandoval asked for $1,500 because they have less than a month to raise the money.
“We’re working our tails off to raise as much as we can,” Sandoval said.
The board held a lengthy discussion about how much money to provide. “I think it's important, these kids worked hard,” said trustee Chad McCormick. “There’s a bunch of groups and every single time we have any meeting, we’re talking about ‘Let’s Win.’
“I want to promote the fact that when you get after it, we’ll take care of you, whatever that is,” McCormick added.
Trustee Stacey Gee asked Superintendent Burton if the district could afford $2,000, and he responded the district could afford $2,000, but it would set a precedent.
“It goes back to they used to not do anything and now they’ve started doing things and every time you do something more, you’re kind of setting a precedent,” Burton said.
Gee countered that $1,500 doesn’t go as far as it used to, and made a motion to give $2,000 to KidWind for travel expenses. Nichole Winner seconded the motion, and the motion passed.
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