The weight room at Reginald F. Lewis High School in Baltimore has new equipment, a new look, and students who say it finally feels like it belongs to them. The renovation came together through Under Armour and its partners, who transformed the space during the company's 22nd annual Armour Day.
Nearly 1,000 Under Armour employees volunteered at 14 sites across the city for Armour Day, according to WBAL News Radio. At Reginald F. Lewis, the school's athletic director said the weight room had been filled with old equipment and needed a major upgrade before the project began. Under Armour volunteers worked alongside CareFirst and the Impact Fitness Foundation to install the new gear.
Students Say the Space Finally Matches Their Ambitions
For the students who use the room every day, the change is personal. Leandra Zayas, a sophomore at the school, said the renovated gym would motivate students to work out and improve. Cabriel Thrower, a senior, went further, saying the renovated facility looks like the Ravens' facility. Faith Williams, another sophomore, also praised the renovation.
Tina Queen, the school's athletic director, framed the upgrade in terms that go beyond fitness. She said students can lift away their frustrations after a bad day, pointing to the weight room as an outlet as much as a training space. Flynn Burch, Under Armour's director of global community impact, said renovated spaces like this one can inspire children to redefine health, wellness, and their identities.
Part of a Citywide Partnership Dating Back to 2017
The Reginald F. Lewis renovation is one piece of Under Armour's Project Rampart initiative, which has partnered with Baltimore City Public Schools since 2017, per Baltimore City Public Schools. The district says Project Rampart now impacts almost 8,000 City School students participating in athletics each year, and that Under Armour has refurbished or repaired 21 gyms in city schools, including repairs to bleachers and scoreboards.
Project Rampart currently supports 23 of the city's 40 public high schools and reaches 414 individual teams annually, according to Under Armour, which also says the program ensures more than 4,000 student-athletes have the equipment and resources they need to compete. Reginald F. Lewis is among the schools included in that network. The company describes the broader initiative as a strategic effort designed to enhance the student-athlete experience and drive academic success through the power of sport.
Academic Numbers Vary Depending on the Source
Baltimore City Schools CEO Dr. Jermaine Dawson said academics, athletics, and arts are all important for young people, tying the gym renovation to a wider push for student development. Reported outcomes tied to Project Rampart vary depending on who's measuring. Under Armour's own account states that in 2026, the program recorded a 97.5% graduation rate and an 87.7% attendance rate, with participants achieving a cumulative GPA of 3.01 compared with a 2.18 average among non-athletes in Baltimore City high schools. A separate account from CBS News Baltimore cites student-athletes maintaining a 97% graduation rate and an average GPA above 3.0.
Other figures tied to the program have also circulated over time. Baltimore City Schools said in 2023 that student-athletes graduate high school at a 25% higher rate than those not involved with sports, as reported by FOX45 Baltimore. A newsletter from the Fund for Educational Excellence noted that students who participate in athletics all four years have a 98.5% graduation rate, compared with 63% for those who do not, according to thefundbalt.org. Under Armour has said Project Rampart has served more than 50,000 student-athletes across Baltimore, Oakland and Washington, D.C. combined, and the company has stated it will continue investing in year-round programming, leadership development opportunities, and competitive experiences. Under Armour has also indicated it wants to expand Project Rampart to middle and elementary students in Baltimore City, according to the Baltimore Business Journal.
Not the First Baltimore Gym to Get the Treatment
Reginald F. Lewis isn't the only school that's seen this kind of makeover. During the 21st annual Armour Day, NBA star Stephen Curry and golfer Jordan Spieth visited Baltimore to help unveil a renovated weight room at Carver Vocational Technical High School, a $250,000 project with the Impact Fitness Foundation that transformed the old gym into a 2,500-square-foot training space, according to CBS News Baltimore. That same Armour Day effort also brought facility improvements and student engagement to four Baltimore City public high schools, including Reginald F. Lewis, REACH/Lake Clifton, ACCE, and City Neighbors.
Under Armour's own account of that 2025 event, published on about.underarmour.com, described the Carver renovation as the largest of the year, converting an underused wrestling space and storage area into a state-of-the-art weight room. The year before that, Armour Day 2024 included a citywide school revitalization effort across five Baltimore public high schools, the company said. The pattern suggests this year's work at Reginald F. Lewis fits into an annual rhythm the company has built around Baltimore's public school system since 2017.
