The McPherson High School roundhouse has been under repair and construction for a couple months now due to record setting summer flooding. School sports, activities, and even classes have suffered because of the lengthiness of the construction. 

The Athletic Director at MHS, Shane Backhus, says, “We had a large rain in the middle of June, they classified it as a 200 year flood event. The parking lot on the north side of the gym filled up with water and it couldn’t drain away fast enough, it came in through the doors and covered the gym floor,” Backhus said. 

The construction process has affected many classes including P.E., SPS, Business Essentials, Robotics, and both Spanish classes. These teachers have adjusted by moving into different classrooms for the time being.

Another large factor of the flooding has been fall sports. One of the most largely impacted is volleyball. Head Volleyball Coach Christy Doile talks about the impact this situation has had on their season.

 “We are unable to be in the roundhouse for all of our matches and practices, so we are all jammed into the aux gym.” said Doile. 

This has led to many logistic issues for practices. Doile spoke about players having to be bussed back and forth to Eisenhower Elementary School and the Community Building to fit the needs of their practices. 

Although this has been a frustrating experience, both Doile and Backhus talked about maintaining flexibility and staying positive. Coach Doile also emphasized that this event has helped her teach her players how to handle adversity.

There has also been a lot of help with volleyball from the MHS staff and administration. Doile emphasized that they have helped out with rescheduling events, setting up buses, and putting up and taking down nets. 

The construction is ongoing and expected to be finished by Nov. 16.