Way to Go! Joshua Ayres of Kings Park High School creates outdoor gym
Joshua Ayres, pictured here with Assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick, left, and Suffolk County Legis. Robert Trotta. Credit: The Office of Suffolk County Legis. Robert Trotta
A Kings Park High School student has created an outdoor gym in an effort to make fitness more convenient for the school community.
Joshua Ayres, a senior, recently spearheaded the creation of a 30-foot by 30-foot gym on school grounds with different stations for pullups, pushups, crunches and dips. To fund the project, he held a car wash at the school last spring that raised $1,900, which he divided between the project and a donation to the school’s track team.
Ayres, a Boy Scout, pursued the project as part of his Eagle Scout Award, which is the highest achievement attainable within the Boy Scouts of America. He is a member of Troop 75.
“I know gym memberships can cost a lot of money and this will help out people in the community who might be less fortunate,” Ayres said.
"It actualy came out better than I even expected.
Ayres said he got the idea for the gym by brainstorming with Kings Park School District Superintendent Timothy T. Eagen. He ultimately created the structure using materials purchased from Home Depot and Lowe’s, as well as donated items such as signs explaining the different stations from a local Signarama.
Ayres, 17, is president of his school’s National Honor Society, treasurer of the History Honor Society, captain of the cross-country team and a member of the varsity wrestling and track and field teams. He is also vice president of a local chapter of the Jewish teen nonprofit BBYO and participates in the UJA-Federation of New York’s Witness Project.
Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.
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