Residents and visitors to Washington Island School will soon have a little more room to move around when they attend basketball games and other events.

School officials, friends, family, and community members will cut the ribbon on the $5 million Bradley Jordan Memorial Gymnasium on Nov. 7. The new facility features six basketball hoops and a dividing curtain, allowing for two practice courts or one full-size regulation court with retractable spectator bleachers for games. The addition also includes an entry lobby, concession area, two team locker rooms, and an equipment storage room.

The Bradley Jordan Memorial Gymnasium began as a dream in 2024 to honor the legacy of the late Bradley Jordan. The Bradley Jordan Memorial Foundation raised $2.5 million to help make it a reality, thanks in part to a matching grant from the nonprofit group Island Angels. The fundraising effort involved the entire community, from children donating proceeds from lemonade stands to the Washington Island Lions Club pledging $25,000, along with contributions from countless businesses and individual donors.

Bradley Jordan Memorial Foundation President Shea Lehman says it took everyone pitching in to make the project a reality.

“Bradley was a ‘get it done’ kind of guy, so he would have loved seeing how his community raised the money and built this gym in less than two years. What a wonderful way to honor a fine young man and enrich our close-knit community.” 

The opening ceremony begins at 1 p.m. Nov. 7 and will feature a welcome, remarks, and benediction, followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Bradley's siblings and friends will then take the first shots on the new basketball court.

With the new facility in place, Washington Island will host the Great Lakes Islands Basketball Tournament for the first time in December 2027.