New Weight Room Equipment Keeps Cortez High School Students and Staff Healthy and Strong

Keeping Montezuma-Cortez High School staff and students safe in the weight room has been a challenge because of a lack of equipment. The district received federal funding to purchase new equipment in 2021, but when the equipment finally arrived at the end of 2022, it was not the proper size for adults and could not be used by high school students and/or staff. That equipment was sent to the middle school, where it was more appropriate. That still left a problem from the high school, whose weight room is used not only by students and staff but also by the community at large through summer programs from Southwest Medical Center and School Community Youth Collaborative. Fortunately one of the school’s coaches found a solution in an equipment manufacturer interested in working specifically with rural schools that was willing to sell equipment at cost. LOR’s funding helped purchase new MCHS-branded equipment that will allow students, staff, and Cortez residents to train safely.