Whether or not they’re in the midst of a sport season or are even an athlete, around a hundred Adair-Casey/Guthrie Center students come to school early every weekday to improve their physical strength.

Physical education teacher Cody Matthewson says that isn’t the only benefit the students receive, and he’s working to ensure all students and the community have the opportunity to improve their health and attitude with the fitness center addition project. The Guthrie Center School Board is working with FRK Architects + Engineers to design a new facility that would be used by students and community members. The district intends to use Secure an Advanced Vision for Education funds for the building, but Matthewson is helping lead the fundraising for the center’s equipment.

Weight lifting attendance has been on the rise in the couple of years Matthewson has worked for the school, and he says it’s not only shown improvement for the sports teams, “Not all these kids are student athletes. Sometimes we just have kids who come in here because of the atmosphere and the environment and it’s a structured workout, and they can now be held accountable by somebody else.”

The district has about a year to raise the $125,000 estimated for equipment and other interior costs, and donations can be made to the Guthrie County State Bank and Peoples Trust & Savings Bank in Guthrie Center, or by visiting here. You can hear more from Matthewson on Monday’s Let’s Talk Guthrie County program on air and at raccoonvalleyradio.com.