Going around Dimond is talk of plans to re-install sand volleyball courts on our school grounds. Before the old building was torn down, there were sand volleyball courts in one of the courtyards for faculty and students to use during lunch and after school. Dimond students played games against the teachers, staff and other students when the weather was nice outside, said Dimond science teacher Laurel Stutzer. There used to be four courtyards on Dimond’s property, used for gardening, Tai Chi and, of course, volleyball. They weren’t tremendously well maintained, but were definitely a great way to boost school spirit at the end of the boring and dark months of winter, said Scott Campbell, a Dimond alumnus now a Dimond science teacher. He reminisced about t-shirts being made for the winning team in the annual tournaments that were held every spring and how when the courts were being used, “it was like a family picnic.” Dimond history teacher Lem Wheeles, also a Dimond alumnus, said that the volleyball courts gave students a reason to want to stay at school instead of leaving campus during lunch. Besides the fact that the sand volleyball courts were great entertainments, they were also easily supervised. The courts were placed so that windows were facing them, making it fun to watch for teachers who were grading papers while keeping a watchful eye for vandalism, etc., Stutzer said. On January 31, Dimond held a carnival as a fundraiser to build the new sand volleyball courts. About $1,500 dollars were made, and, according to Stutzer, it was a great success. She said that lots of Dimond’s community members came to the carnival to help raise money for the courts, which would really do a whole lot for Dimond’s school spirit, agreed Campbell and Dimond English teacher and alumnus Kristn Melican. Hosting the carnival was also a great way to show Dimond’s commitment to finance the sand volleyball courts, said Melican. Stutzer said that if more money is needed to build the courts, there will probably have to be more fundraisers in the future. Almost everyone agrees that installing the sand volleyball courts would be great for spirit weeks and would give students a chance to have fun when the weather is nice out. Campbell said with a smile, “It will be one of the hallmarks!”