LAGUNA BEACH : School Fitness Room Will Be Dedicated

A fitness center that opened at Laguna Beach High School this fall after two local couples donated a roomful of training equipment will be formally dedicated during Back-to-School Night today.

Dr. Stephen and Renee Weiss and Anthony and Diane Stellar donated the equipment, valued at $100,000 to $150,000, last year. They also donated funds to remodel and carpet the facility.

Stephen Weiss, an orthopedic surgeon, has been the high school’s volunteer sports physician for three years. Both couples have children in area schools and are members of SchoolPower, a foundation that raises funds for Laguna Beach schools.

Stephen Weiss donated much of the equipment after he closed a rehabilitation center associated with his medical practice, SchoolPower director Cindy Prewitt said. Among the items are weight-lifting machines, free weights, climbing machines, exercise bikes, massage tables, ice machines, a whirlpool bath and a stereo system, Prewitt said.

With the contribution, the school could this year offer a fitness class for students who are not athletes, Prewitt said. About 120 have enrolled. Eventually, the fitness room may be opened to Laguna Beach residents in the after-school hours, she said.

The district and SchoolPower launched a campaign last fall to raise money to rebuild deteriorating areas on school campuses and to improve the supply of school equipment. Eventually, the organizations hope to renovate the Laguna Beach High School pool and theater--which was built in 1935--and improve science laboratories and computer equipment throughout the district, Prewitt said.

“This is the first really large gift,” she said of the fitness center.

The Weisses and Stellars will be honored during a ribbon-cutting at 6 p.m. today.