When seventh grader Alaya entered the upgraded weight room at Northwest Middle School for the first time on Sept. 24, her eyes lit up with excitement and enthusiasm.
“I think this new weight room is much better than our old one,” Alaya told the Indianapolis Recorder. “It has new stuff that will make us more stronger and more fit.”
Alaya’s reaction echoed the sentiment of students, staff and community members who gathered to celebrate the ribbon-cutting of the school’s newly renovated fitness center. The transformation, made possible through a partnership between Elevance Health and the Impact Fitness Foundation, turns a dated, intimidating space into a bright, modern facility designed specifically for middle school athletes.
The project, which involved more than 40 Elevance Health volunteers, includes new flooring, functional training equipment sized for younger students, an organized storage system and a 50-foot-long turf strip for agility drills. The renovation addresses a long-standing issue: the weight room still contained high school-level equipment from decades ago, which was largely inaccessible and unsafe for middle schoolers.
For Athletic Director Moshfilay McClain-Anderson, who has been at Northwest since 1999, the reveal was an emotional capstone to years of gradual improvement at the school.
“Oh, my God, it was absolutely amazing to just see the electricity on the students’ faces,” McClain-Anderson said. “I think that even gave me more of a drive to go harder for them and make sure that they have what they need … an environment that they can thrive in.”
McClain-Anderson emphasized that the new space is more than just a collection of equipment.
“This represents an opportunity for growth and investment in our students,” McClain-Anderson said. “It’s a place where students can build confidence, develop healthy habits and push themselves to reach their full potential. It reflects our commitment to supporting their physical, social and emotional well-being.”
The need for an age-appropriate space was a key motivator for the renovation. Athletic Coordinator and Dean of Students Devon Caldwell-Valdez (or ‘Mr. CV’ to his scholars) explained that the old weight room, with its 100-pound dumbbells and outdated machines, was a barrier to student participation.
“We have a lot of kids that are intimidated by the weight room,” Caldwell-Valdez said. “So, at 4 o’clock, they walk out of the building, they go and do who knows what with who knows who. I think this upgrade might build some excitement and some confidence for some kids to get in the weight room and actually do some after-school activities.”
Caldwell-Valdez, who attended Northwest as a student and has lived in the neighborhood since he was in first grade, said the investment holds deep personal significance.
“Seeing community partners investing in my neighborhood, in my kids, in my school, it means a lot, especially since it is long overdue,” Caldwell-Valdez told the Indianapolis Recorder. “I walked into the weightroom as a freshman in 2009 and we had the same things. So, at this point now, it’s kind of exciting.”
For associate teacher and girls’ basketball coach Anissa Butler, the new facility is a tool that will benefit students far beyond athletics. Her teams haven’t had consistent access to a functional weight room in nearly six years.
“It means a lot to me and the students are super excited,” Butler said. “I think it’ll help tremendously, not even just on the court, I think it will help them in the classroom as well … when they’re more fit and more healthier, they just do better.”
She also anticipates positive ripple effects throughout the community.
“They’ll go tell friends, they’ll go tell family members and they’ll be more excited to get to the weight room outside of Northwest,” Butler said. “They’re going to want to work out instead of getting into mischief.”
The project aligns with Elevance Health’s focus on “whole health,” which emphasizes the connection between physical, mental and social well-being. Elevance Health Chief Growth Officer Anita Allemand said investing in youth fitness is critical for building lifelong healthy habits.
Allemand noted that an active lifestyle provides benefits that extend into all aspects of a student’s life. “It gives you the confidence, it gives you the ability to clarify and clear your head,” Allemand said. “This is a way to just put all that aside and be both fit as well as confident.”
The renovation at Northwest Middle School marks the fourth Indianapolis school fitness space upgraded by Elevance Health in connection with the Elevance Health Women’s Fort Myers Tipoff, a collegiate basketball tournament that celebrates the impact of women in sports.
Founder and President of Impact Fitness Foundation Chris Welsh, another community partner, delivered a powerful message as the ribbon fell to the hardwood, ushering in a new age of fitness at Northwest.
“As important as this is for the kids, it is important for the teachers and coaches as well,” Welsh said. “(Everyone) needs a space that motivates them and gets them fired up.”
However, no one may be more excited than Alaya, stating: “My favorite part about the weight room is that everything is new and we can finally go in there and do stuff.”
Contact Multi-Media & Senior Sports Reporter Noral Parham at 317-762-7846 or via email at noralp@indyrecorder.com. Follow him on social media @HorsemenSportsMedia. For more news, click here.
Noral Parham is the multi-media & senior sports reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder, one of the oldest Black publications in the country. Parham has worked with various leagues to provide a diverse perspective in sports, including the Big Ten, Big East, IHSAA, IndyCar, MLB, NHRA, NFL, NBA, WNBA, WWE and the Olympics. Prior to joining the Recorder, Parham served as the community advocate of the MLK Center in Indianapolis and senior copywriter for an e-commerce and marketing firm in Denver.
