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JB MDL celebrates YoMF with new school gym

  • Published
  • By Pascual Flores
  • Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  Members of the Pemberton School district and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst community gathered at the Fort Dix Elementary School to witness the ground breaking ceremony for the schools' new gym, Dec. 16.

A crowd of more than 100 community residents, made up of teachers, students, parents and military representatives from JB MDL waited outside the school house with red, white and blue pom-poms in hand, despite the cold winds and chilling temperature. They were anticipating the moment a ground- breaking crew of students would dip their shovels into the large pile of dirt, commemorating the site for the school's new gym.

At precisely 2 p.m., students from the fifth-grade class broke through the banner stretched before the ceremony site. They led the audience in cheers, marking the beginning of the ceremony.

Tamra Garbutt, the school's principal, opened the afternoon by thanking all who were present - from the students and teachers to the school superintendent, Dr. Michael Gorman; Col. Michael Carrell, 87th Mission Support Group commander; and Col. Patrick Slowey, Army Support Activity commander.

She explained the time and effort that went into developing the project.

"This process took two years to come together, an exciting two years with a lot of meetings and things going on," Ms. Garbutt said.

Pat Austin, the school's administrator, explained what the community could expect to gain from the new facility.

"I certainly want to thank for their support Dix and the military. We absolutely will have a state-of-art school, media center and gym that is community based. This will be for the community," Ms. Austin said.

When Colonel Slowey took the microphone, he took a moment to reflect on the significance of improving the quality of life and education for base families.

"Our children are our future and it is important we educate them not just academically but also on physical fitness; the gym represents that," said Colonel Slowey.

This year, JB MDL servicemembers and their families are celebrating "The Year of the Military Family." Constructing new facilities, such as the Fort Dix Elementary School's new gym, demonstrates the military's strong commitment to enhancing the quality of life for servicemembers and their families.

Fifth grader, Amanda Gallagher, spoke to the audience, explaining what benefits the gym would bring.

"The new gym is coming. It's almost here. Students of Fort Dix won't have to eat in the cafeteria/gym (combined facility) anymore," she exclaimed. "I'm looking forward to the student versus teacher basketball games. We can definitely beat the teachers."

Dr. Gorman concluded the ceremony by introducing his ground-breaking crew, a group of students from the kindergarten through the fifth-grade classes, who armed with shovels and equipped with construction caps, dug away the first steps to a brand new gym.