Many volunteers have been helping to execute various needed updates and improvements in the recent months. Other projects will be completed soon, and some are still in need of a volunteer or more who is willing to help.

Installing the new Promethean boards <COMPLETED>

Thanks to generous donations in response to the call for help in making technology upgrades at the school, EVERY classroom now has an interactive display known as a “Promethean board”. This interactive board works as both a white board, a projector, and a touch-screen so students can interact with the learning videos that teachers show.

Over the summer various church members were able to install all of the boards and they were ready for use this school-year!

Basketball backboards returned to the gym <COMPLETED>

After the new gym floor was completed, it became apparent that the wheels under the moveable basketball hoops were too old to continue on. The wheels fell apart under the weight of being moved and needed a repair. Al Vollmer was able to find replacement wheels and get them repaired so that, going forward, these moveable hoops will be, well… easily moveable!

Connecting the new retractable gate <COMPLETED>

The new gate is a great safety improvement for the side parking lot and playground areas, thanks to the efforts of a handful of church volunteers over the summer! For more information, check out this month’s post sharing the details and photos of the installation process, as well as how this gate will benefit the offices and students.

Installing new bollards in the sidewalk <COMPLETED>

Now that the new gate has been installed to keep the students safe and decrease traffic in the side parking lot, vehicles can still enter the lot freely by driving over the curbless sidewalk. Todd Schultz installed the bollards over Labor Day weekend in order to keep the sidewalk “pedestrian only” and block vehicles from using this sidewalk to enter the lot.

Updating the lights around the school building <IN PROGRESS>

Al Vollmer and Mat Gross have been leading a team of volunteers to update the old lightbulbs to new LED bulbs. This effort is in large part due to the fact that NIPSCO is raising the rates about 16.75%. With as many rooms and lights that are in the building, this will quickly be a significant increase to the church’s NIPSCO bill. The new LED bulbs use far less energy and will help to defray these costs. In addition, NIPSCO is covering half of the cost of the new bulbs, to promote the use of energy-efficient fixtures.

This team has been making great strides by doing these updates just a few hours on a Saturday morning once a month, so that the whole project can be completed soon but it also isn’t a task that needs to take up an entire single weekend.

If you’re willing to help, please contact the church office so you can be notified when the next Saturday morning installation is planned.

Repairing the sidewalk from the gate-installation process <VOLUNTEERS NEEDED>

During the gate installation over the summer, the sidewalk and part of the parking lot had to be torn up. In order to get electricity and internet cables to the remote-access gate, cables had to be laid under the cement. There is still a portion of the sidewalk on the west end of the building that is needing repair. However, volunteers who are willing to take on this task are also needed. If you’re willing to take on the project, or willing to assist someone else who takes the lead, please let the church office now.