Students begin class in new addition

Students and teachers started school this fall utilizing the new high school addition. 

The school district broke ground on the high school expansion project in April 2023. They got temporary occupancy Aug. 11 and since then have held teacher in service, freshmen orientation and the start of classes.

A few items remain to be finished like some work on the performing arts center stage, electrical work, tiles on the stairs, a trophy case, along with the walls for the PAC donor wall, Hall of Fame inductees, teacher of the year recipients and employee of the year recipients.

When students or visitors come to the high school, they will now enter through the new main entrance, which is located toward the north end of the building (pictured at left). In the entrance area, they have the principal’s office, assistant principal’s office, conference room, suspension rooms, extra offices, student resource officer’s office, restroom and workroom.

The old entrance will primarily be used for sports activities now.

Operations manager Wayne Larsen said the plywood on the stage of the PAC will be removed after they are done driving heavy equipment on it. Then the stage floor will be painted black. The grand piano arrived and is being stored in the piano garage located on one end of the stage.

In the music wing, instrument storage is being used by students in the hallway. The vocal room has risers and can handle up to 75 students. The ban room has a door that leads outside for easy bus load out or going to the football field for practices or performances.

“In the old band room, instrument storage was part of the band room,” Larsen said.

The black box theatre has bleacher seating that can be moved and seats about 107. 

Students have been utilizing the classrooms in the science wing. In that wing, there’s a science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) room. That room will host e-sports practice.