Courtesy of The Bluffton News Banner: Holly Gaskill
Southern Wells schools ceremoniously broke ground on its new Raider Activity Center Tuesday, September 8th, 2026.
The new facility will be located northeast of the main building, visible alongside County Road 300 West.
It will serve as an additional gymnasium and all-purpose space — which had been requested by coaches, students, parents and community members. The groups flooded multiple board meetings to share the need for an additional space, given the needs of extracurricular activities and sports.
The RAC, as it has been nicknamed, will include a dedicated court for basketball and volleyball, a practice area for baseball, a wrestling room and a weight room, among other features intended for general use.
School Board President Andrew Pursifull noted that the addition comes alongside other campus improvements. For example, because the RAC will include a new weight room, the current Raider Dome weight room is being converted into a women’s locker room.
“It’s an exciting time to be a Raider,” Pursifull said.
The district is working with the James S. Jackson Company for the facility and other campus work, a total package bid at $5.02 million. Construction is expected to finish in summer 2027. Superintendent Matt Brankle thanked the contractor and krM Architecture for their work on the project. He also credited former superintendent Trent Lehman, who led the project from its start until he left the district this summer.
For Tuesday’s groundbreaking, the board was joined by representatives from the architecture firm and contractor, ambassadors from the Wells County Chamber of Commerce, and a variety of coaches, teachers, students and community members who will soon use the facility.
Please view more photos from the event on our Facebook page.