Seventh grader Rosemary Meek and her friends can’t wait to go to Broad Ripple Middle School next year.
That’s partly because of the new athletic offerings Indianapolis Public Schools plans to introduce when the school reopens in the fall.
Meek plays softball, soccer and basketball and runs cross country, but her current school — IPS’ Center for Inquiry 84 — doesn’t have the dedicated athletic fields on campus that Broad Ripple has.
“We’re so excited to lace up our cleats, grab our gloves and hit the ground running,” Meek told onlookers during a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday, April 9.
Broad Ripple Middle School — in the former Broad Ripple High School at 1115 Broad Ripple Ave. — will house hundreds of sixth, seventh and eighth graders this fall as a part of the IPS’ Rebuilding Stronger plan, which is reintroducing grades 6-8 middle schools to the district starting with the upcoming 2024-25 school year.
Administrators from across IPS gathered Tuesday to celebrate the groundbreaking of work to replace the grass athletic field behind the former high school, which currently houses Purdue Polytechnic High School’s north campus.
The IPS Board of Commissioners approved an agreement last summer to share the Broad Ripple building with Purdue Polytechnic, which will house students on the third floor while IPS operates its middle school on the first and second floors.
Construction, which is set to begin as early as this week, will bring to the school a new turf football field and resurfaced track, a new turf softball practice field and new storage building. Other internal projects at the school, such as improved science labs, kitchen upgrades and security updates, will begin this summer and could continue into the school year.
The goal is to complete as much of the athletic work as possible before students return to school in the fall. Administrators say it comes as part of an effort to enhance students’ experiences both in and out of the classroom.
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“I was a volleyball player throughout middle school and high school and … I can tell you that having that experience of playing sports and being a part of a team and going to practice after school is sometimes the best part of the day,” IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson told district supporters Tuesday. “We know that same feeling exists for so many of our students.”
The projects are being funded with IPS’ $410 million capital referendum approved by voters last spring.
Other middle schools in the district — including Thomas Carr Howe, Arlington, Northwest, Longfellow and Harshman — will also see athletics upgrades, each depending on the school’s needs. Some schools will see new athletic fields while others will have their tracks resurfaced or grandstands replaced.
With renovated facilities, IPS will expand athletic offerings adding new seasons of swimming, cross country, tackle football as well as introducing girls flag football and golf in middle school.
That’s one reason why Meek wants to attend Broad Ripple for her last year of middle school.
“It’s really exciting because we’ve never had it before,” Meek said. “It’s going to help us get ready for high school and meeting new friends.”
Mirror Indy reporter Carley Lanich covers early childhood and K-12 education. Contact her at carley.lanich@mirrorindy.org or follow her on X @carleylanich.