There is only one place in Monroe High School where you can find athletic equipment and sweaty teenagers. MHS gym classes are always in high demand for student’s schedules.

Senior Emily Tubbs’ favorite gym class is weightlifting. In the weight room, you’ll find over 20 machines working all muscles, lots of boys trying to get big and at least one adult supervising.  The smell of the weight room could make almost everyone gag.

“The smell comes from people who have natural body odor, sweat and metal from the new machines,” Tubbs said.  The sound heard in the weight room is very loud because of machines that constantly clink together.

There is never a dull moment in the gym of MHS. Four out of five hours in the day are packed full of students.

“I’ve taken more than five gym classes, mostly because I love sports and the teacher Mrs. Ray,” said senior Tyler Kellems.

Ray is a very athletic woman who said she loves her job. Students said they hate when they hear the whistle blow, though, meaning it’s time to put back all the equipment.

You could easily sit through a gym class and just watch everything that goes on. Senior Bridgette Blazoff said she likes to sit on the mats and be lazy during gym class.

“It gets loud in here, between all the kids yelling, balls hitting the ground, and Ray trying to teach kids new things,” said Blazoff.

Volleyball is played different in Ray’s gym class. Three nets are set up across the gym, and students are assigned teamson which to play.

“Volleyball is my favorite sport we play in class,” said Kellems. He adds that boys usually take it more seriously than girls and tend to hit the ball harder.

Monroe’s gym has a lot of Trojan pride. Walls are painted with different Monroe symbols, including the Trojan head and the fight song.  The gym is used for more than just gym class. Graduation, the homecoming dance, blood drives, pep assemblies, and many sporting events also occur in the gym.