Hughes High School in Cincinnati is long established as an iconic building near the University of Cincinnati campus. As soon as you make the bend on Taft Road heading toward the newly invigorated Clifton area, the tower of the front of the school makes its presence known. The closer you get to the school, the bigger the tower seems to rise over the University of Cincinnati campus.
Inside Hughes High School is Jolinda Miller; a former University of Cincinnati women's basketball stand-out, UC Hall of Famer and the school's current Athletic Director. There is a big reason why she is receiving the Athletic Director of the Year Award in 2017; her passion and determination to help others succeed and to give the students of Hughes a place to proud of is felt throughout the building. Look no further than "The Mack". The swimming pool area now turned auxiliary gym took almost 8 years to come to fruition. Tons of concrete was hauled in by hand to fill in the pool and smooth out the surface for the multi-purpose gym. A rubberized basketball floor and brand new hoops were installed along with a batting cage. The once vacant space is now an area where multiple student-athletes and teams can come together and practice their craft.
Happy but not satisfied with the new gym, Jolinda knew "The Mack" needed those extra details to make it feel like home. The use of windscreen was a big part of this project. Being a multi-purpose gym, we wanted to make a statement and protect the graphics at the same time and make sure that they would be in perfect shape even after the many years of student-athletes' grinding. The goal was to recognize past standout student-athletes and coaches with large, life-sized action pictures and also remind the current ones that Hughes was founded on those who bought in and preached the "Big Red" core values and culture.
