All Are Welcome!

Over the last couple years, the Vermilion School District has undergone some massive improvements. One of the most recent being the completion of our field house, which was dedicated to local veterans this fall.

Our field house includes a weight room, gym, and a large storage area that can be utilized in the future for expansion if needed. The weight room is 3,020 sq. ft. and is outfitted with top-quality, high-end weight equipment that rivals most small college weight rooms. The gym is over 9,000 sq. ft. and features a 100m walking track, college size basketball, volleyball, and tennis courts, six retractable and adjustable basketball hoops, and two retractable batting cages.

If you have yet to go see the field house, you really should. It is as impressive as it is useful. Virtually every athletic team at VHS has had the opportunity to utilize the field house. In the short time it has been open, it has already become a significant asset to our athletic programs and will no doubt aid in the ongoing development of our student-athletes.

VHS athletes aren’t the only ones benefitting. Several community organizations including the YMCA have started using our gym space. The YMCA has used it for their youth basketball program, and will continue to use it for their winter basketball program as well as their volleyball program.

Making the fieldhouse accessible to the community is a significant priority to the district. We are excited the YMCA has been able to expand their programs by using our building, and we welcome other organizations to do the same. Any organization or group interested in using the field house can contact the Vermilion High School Athletic Office to get more information and availability.

We have also worked with the coaches to create a schedule that allows community members to take advantage of our wonderful indoor walking track. You can access the open gym schedule through the Vermilion Schools Website HERE We have open gym hours 4-5 days a week most weeks, and we have worked to provide both morning and evening open gym hours to accommodate as many people as possible.

We can’t talk about the field house without taking a minute to thank Pat O’Brian and The Vermilion Athletic Booster Club for their generous support. Pat O’Brian donated $50,000, which was used to purchase weight room equipment. The Booster Club has donated $25,000 ($5,000/year) over the course of 5 years to purchase equipment. They’ve also donated $5,484.68 for the engravable brick pavers in the main walkway and $4,239.92 for upgraded flooring in the weight room. In total, the Booster Club has donated $34,724.60.

This past fall, our field house was officially names The Veterans Memorial Field House with complete support of our board of education, the athletic boosters, and Pat O’Brien! This wonderful facility could never be possible to use or even talk about if it had not been for the bravery and valor of Vermilion Veterans!!