Panther athletics score big with newest upgrade

Along+with+the+renovations+taking+place+for+Starr%E2%80%99s+Mill%E2%80%99s+20-year+anniversary%2C+several+other+upgrades+have+been+planned%2C+including+replacement+of+the+original+scoreboards+%28top%29+in+the+gymnasium.++The+Parent+Teacher+Student+Organization%2C+the+class+of+2015%2C+and+the+Mill%E2%80%99s+athletic+department+have+provided+funding+for+new+scoreboards+%28bottom%29.

Shelby Foster

Along with the renovations taking place for Starr’s Mill’s 20-year anniversary, several other upgrades have been planned, including replacement of the original scoreboards (top) in the gymnasium. The Parent Teacher Student Organization, the class of 2015, and the Mill’s athletic department have provided funding for new scoreboards (bottom).

Hayeon Choi, Staff Writer

For 20 years, Starr’s Mill has accumulated numerous accomplishments through its 23 sports teams, leading to feats such as winning two Director’s Cups, eight state soccer championships and 17 straight swimming county championships. These accolades have already resulted in a re-shuffling of trophies, but plans for full-scale renovations have created the opportunity for some additional upgrades around the Mill.

“I found out that sometime last year around this time that they would be doing the 20-year refresh [for the school],” assistant principal and athletic director Sandy Martin said. “It was time to look at how we would redo things.”

The plan for the gym is to replace the indoor scoreboard, in addition to redecorating the entire gym by next summer. The scoreboards arrived in February, and were installed over spring break. The Parent Teacher Student Organization, the Class of 2015, and the Mill’s athletic department provided the funding.

Along with having the new scoreboard, all of the gym’s walls will be repainted during its face-lift. In addition, each sport’s individual banners for area, region, and state wins will be combined into one new banner that will be displayed on the repainted walls.

“There will be [a banner] for each sport and we have 23 sports and it may vary on what the coaches want, but there is going to be [a section for] region championships [and] region state championships,” Martin said.

The school has yet to confirm when the banners will be finished. The scoreboard is expected to be installed in the gym by the end of this school year.