Students and parents urge Appleton board to add a middle‑school weight room at Madison

Several parents, coaches and middle‑school athletes asked the Appleton board Monday to provide an on‑site weight room at James Madison Middle School, saying students now travel to commercial gyms or other schools for strength training.

Dana Chergy, who identified herself as the parent of an eighth‑grade son at Madison and a fifth‑grade daughter, said other Valley-area middle schools have lifting programs and Madison families want the same opportunities. “We believe East families and students should be able to have the same opportunities that other students have at the middle school,” Chergy said in public comment.

Students who spoke described logistics and competitive disadvantages. Carter Berndt, an eighth‑grader at Madison, said he travels to a commercial gym and would prefer lifting immediately after school with teammates. “I wish we had a weight room at James Madison so that I would be able to lift with my teammates so we could push each other to get better,” Berndt said.

Kian Vra, another eighth‑grade student, and coach/parent Alonzo Hodges reiterated that peer‑group training and nearby equipment reduce injury risk, improve recovery and support local athletic competitiveness. Hodges said coaches currently take athletes to Planet Fitness and other commercial gyms because the school lacks facilities.

Board members acknowledged the comments and said staff will take them under advisement as the district reviews extracurricular programming and site‑level needs.

Ending: The public‑comment segment closed after several speakers urged equal access to athletic training facilities at the middle‑school level.