Ground breaking ceremony Wednesday at Clarendon Hall

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Clarendon Hall plans to break ground on April 25 for its new Wellness Center. Having received a grant from Bank of Clarendon in the amount of $2,500, the monies donated from private donations and grants now total approximately $51,000. While short of their $90,000 goal, this amount will allow the Phase 1 building shell to be erected, and Ritchie Way, Clarendon Hall Athletic Director, hopes the remaining Phase 1 money will be donated by the end of the summer break. The initial phase will be a 40 x 50-foot building, broken up into one large room with three smaller rooms on one side. The smaller rooms will be an office, a bathroom, and a training room, which will be similar in style to an examining room, used to assess sports injuries. Phase 2 will require another $90,000 raised, and the 40 x 50-foot addition will house two large locker rooms. The wellness center will serve the whole school, not just the sports teams. “There will be a treadmill or two and a stationary bicycle or two, as well as free weights,” said Way. According to Way, the equipment will eventually be similar to what is found in any standard public gym. “Hopefully by the time school gets out May 30 or June 1, the building should be up, and we can actually put our weights and our equipment in it to get started until the rest of the money comes in, so we can finish.” Way says some of the equipment they have is only a year or two old, but some will need to be replaced due to age and wear. The previous building which housed the equipment needed to be demolished, so a room at the back of the gym is being used to store part of the equipment. The rest is in storage until Phase 1 is completed. Until Phase 2, the gym locker rooms will be available for showers and changes for the Wellness Center, and a covered walkway will connect the two buildings. Clarendon Hall has many sports teams including football, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, golf, and bowling, and they’re trying to find a place to begin a tennis program. If anyone wishes to donate to the Wellness Center program, please call the front office at Clarendon Hall at (803) 485-3550.