[VIDEO] 35 Years in the Making: Chaparral Middle School Gym Opens

For 35 years, Chaparral Middle School made use of a modest multi-purpose room for assemblies and school productions.

The long wait made Friday afternoon's ribbon cutting at Chaparral's new gymnasium a momentous occasion for the school.

 "I'm glad that we finally got it," president of Chaparral's Associated Student Body, Ruben Reyes, said, "it's something that I think we have been missing for a little while because sometimes P.E. outside is just horrible on days that it gets really hot."

The building contains a total 8,600 sq. feet with a full-size basketball court, two practice hoops, volleyball courts, scoreboards and an LCD projection system.

A set of motorized bleachers is set to be added to the facility and will seat approximately 318 people.

Friday's ceremonies opened with a performance from the Chaparral wind ensemble and concluded with a faculty vs. students exhibition basketball game, which the faculty took handily by a margin of 37-26.