RCAS, Rushmore Rotary Club dedicate plaza at downtown high school

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - Rapid City Area Schools, along with the Rushmore Rotary Club, dedicated a new plaza Thursday in front of Rapid City High School.

The Rotary Plaza features three benches, space for walking, as well as a skateboard and bike rack.

It was built by students of Western Dakota Tech’s Welding and Fabrication program.

Sean Binder is a teacher at RCHS and says he’s happy the Rotary Club contributed so much to the project, given the club’s long history of educational efforts in the community.

”It’s awesome to show the kids a community,” Binder said. “So, that’s what Rushmore Rotary Company really does for us. They’re able to create a community for our students, and this plaza shows that the community supports all our learners, so we’re excited to welcome this.”

The plaza was dedicated to the memory of Rotary member George Lyons, who passed away in 2016.

Carmen Hansen with Rushmore Rotary says it’s important that a plaza in George’s name is used to benefit students.

She adds it was a big part of George’s life to help kids in the community.

”He volunteered at Storybook Island, he was involved with all the students of distinction and everything else we did with students,” Hansen said. “So, we knew that it needed to be centered around students, and with it dedicated to Rapid City High School, it was a perfect fit.”

Superintendent Dr. Lori Simon said at the dedication the collaborations between Rotary, RCAS and WDT made the project possible.

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