Decatur open house showcases new high school renovation
One feature that changed during the renovation was the main hallway. This now runs the length of the two school complexes. The school board and contractors worked hard to put a continuous hallway through the building to prevent students from having to go outside in the rain and cold to get to classes.
DECATUR — Area educators are preparing for the return to in-class instruction for the start of the 2021-22 school year. One area school opened its doors to students and parents for the first time since it underwent a major renovation to one of its campuses.
Faculty and staff with the Decatur School District were ready to meet and greet students and parents Thursday for the district’s annual open house which started at 11 a.m. For new teachers at Northside Elementary, Decatur Middle and High Schools, this was their chance to meet students and get to know them a little better before the school year starts on Aug. 18.
For the returning faculty, it was a chance to reunite with some of their former students while meeting new kids entering the Decatur school system for the first time.
Faculty, staff and administrators at Decatur Middle and High Schools were particularly excited Thursday to show off the nearly complete Decatur High School renovation project. The project, which began in 2019 with the construction of the new cafeteria and kitchen, had only a few minor projects left to finish on the exterior and interior of the structure and the band room.
While most of the original high school stayed the same as in previous years, the north end from the lifestyles classroom north has changed.
The old high school offices are now a pair of classrooms with the new offices now occupying the junction point where the old meets the new.
The second set of double doors that once was the emergency exit is now the main entrance to the high school.
One feature that changed during the renovation was the main hallway. This now runs the length of the two school complexes. The school board and contractors worked hard to put a continuous hallway through the building to prevent students from having to go outside in the rain and cold to get to classes.
As visitors proceed down the main hallway, they come to the first east-west hall. Here the school’s administrative offices and conference areas are located. Across from the offices is the new band room which is 90 percent complete. Jesse Owens, high school director of music, will operate in a much bigger space, which is good since the band program continues to grow. Owens will also have his own office and three practice/ instruction rooms. This will allow band students to take advantage of downtime to get in a little extra practice.
The band room is now located in the old cafeteria/ kitchen area. The office and practice areas now occupy the old stage area which includes a handicap ramp to provide disabled students access to the practice area.
Of course, the main feature of the new renovation is the cafeteria and kitchen which are located between the middle and high school section of the complex. The new cafeteria and kitchen are nearly double the size of the old one, which will allow the school district to comply with covid-19 mandates on social distancing.
The cafeteria has a secondary use as a concert hall for the music program equipped with a portable stage and a large venue meeting room.
The Decatur Middle School part of the complex has stayed the same since it was renovated in 2016 and when, a year later, the new gym was added.
With a new school year beginning Aug. 18 and a renovated school complex, students at Decatur Middle and High School can look forward to a much more comfortable environment to foster a promising educational future.