Cushing Academy is an independent, coeducational boarding school with a population of 400 students in grades nine through 12, as well as post-graduate students. The Watkins Field House is a new athletic complex featuring a fitness center, a weight room, a training room and locker rooms for teams, students, faculty and officials.
The three-level facility includes one NCAA-regulation court and two high-school-regulation courts. The gym improves utilization and scheduling by allowing more court and practice time. The NCAA-regulation gym allows the academy to host New England Preparatory School Athletic Council championship games.
The glass-enclosed, easily supervised fitness center and group exercise spaces offer views of campus and the gymnasium below. The use of natural daylight in virtually all rooms creates a transparent and energetic atmosphere. The entire facility is wired and camera-ready for internet streaming of games and lectures. The gymnasium and program spaces are also used for distance learning, making the new building more than solely an athletic space.
The athletic center is situated to complete the campus quadrangle and blends the traditional brick facade of the surrounding buildings with a modern glass curtainwall along the north side and the entrance. The blend complements existing campus buildings while introducing contemporary features.
