While the community has been trooping through the junior high complex for the past four weeks, marveling at its design and newness, Principal Robert Chappell has been sitting in meeting after meeting discussing details for the $27 million-plus additions and renovations to the high school complex.

“Bids are being sent out right now,” Chappell said. “I talked to architects…they said they might start by March 1.”

The renovations will include a new fine arts facility (theater, band halls, choir rooms), new offices for administration, new clinic, an expanded teachers lounge, nine additional classrooms, two additional science labs, a new cafeteria, new multipurpose room and restroom and storage facilities for the tennis courts. Currently, the building is 245,000 square feet, and according to Chappell, the additions will make the building over 400,000 square feet.

The expansion of the building is needed due to the sizes of the classes coming up.

“We usually graduate 150 to 160,” Chappell said. “There’s a class in the junior high right now that has over 200 students, and the Kindergarten and first grade have over 200.”

With the larger numbers of students, the current building as it is would be unable to hold all the students.

“We’re just going to get much bigger,” Chappell said. “With more kids up here, we need more classrooms. The cafeteria won’t hold all the incoming kids.”

Chappell said starting now would ensure that the building was the right size when it was needed.

“You’ve got to start now,” Chappell said. “These sixth graders…and the fifth grade that has 204 will be seventh and eighth graders by the time this is finished. We had better do it now so it will be ready for them.”

With more students, more classrooms and locker areas will be needed. Chappell said the new classrooms and science labs with be added to the west side of the school on 23rd Street. The bus lane will move closer to 23rd Street. Lockers will be added in the activity center and will be used for the seniors. The other lockers will remain the same.

A brand new cafeteria will also be added running along the south side of the 200 hall as well as a new multipurpose room since the old one will be taken into the fine arts complex.

“The main thing that’s different with the new cafeteria is that there are going to be more serving lines to make it where kids can get in and get out quicker instead of having one service line,” Chappell said. “We’ll be able to offer kids more.”

Chappell said the new junior high has different service lines with more variety in its food items. The new cafeteria will have something similar with more choices. The new cafeteria will also look slightly different.

“It’s going to be larger,” Chappell said. “We want to do different levels of seating to have bigger and smaller tables and make it look a little neater.”

Chappell has been sampling a taller table option with high-backed bar stools to use in part of the cafeteria.

The new fine arts facility will be located on the corner of the Hobbs Highway and 23rd street. This includes an auditorium which will seat 600 more people than the current little theater. Connected with the theater, there will be a “black box” which is like a teaching theater. It will be  all black with a movable stage for smaller performances.

Chappell said the additions to the high school should improve the fine arts programs overall.

Theater instructor Josh Harriman said the renovations will help the theater program improve because of convenience and room to do what is needed.

“It’s going to be awesome to actually have a place to build props,” Harriman said. “We are really excited about that. It seems like we were always getting paint on everything, and we were always repainting the stage.”

Harriman said the renovations will help the program with organization. The lights and acoustics will make the performances better for audiences.

“When we do musicals as large as the Wizard of Oz, the audience will be able to hear better,” Harriman said.

The band halls will triple in size with three rehearsal halls and soundproof practice rooms. The Symphonic Band has not had a permanent place to rehearse in the morning. With the additions, both bands will have their own rehearsal rooms.

“The biggest change is that we will have more than one band hall so the Wind Ensemble and the Symphonic Band will have rehearsal facilities,” band Director Jimmie Exline said. “This allows the Symphonic Band to have a constant place to work, so they aren’t bouncing between places.”

Exline said the size of the facility will allow more convenience for the band program.

“Another major change is we will have more room for sectionals,” Exline said. “The band directors will be able to split the band four ways instead of just two.”

Choir also gets needed elbow room in a bigger space with better acoustics.

“The facility will provide for better rehearsals,” Director Eric Hindman said. “We’ll be able to separate and do section work. We will also have a better venue to rehearse and perform.”

Speech and debate will move from its regular classroom into a space with ample storage and performance room.

“We will have a larger, more comfortable facility in which to work,” Coach Danny Stottlemyre said. “I don’t think it will make things easier as much as it will more comfortable for the team.”

Chappell said that as it is now, teachers are having to share classrooms.

“Those teachers are having to get out of their rooms just so someone else can use them,” Chappell said. “Now they are not going to have to do that because we are adding more classrooms.”

The project even calls for card entry locks that can be checked on computer to make sure all doors are secure.

“You won’t have to walk all the way around the school to check to see if the doors are closed,” Chappell said. “You will be able to look right here on the computer to see if they are.”

Chappell said the new junior high makes the high school construction easier.

“We know what we’re getting in the builder,” Chappell said. “We knew going in that they were easy to work with and that they stayed on top of the job. They did quality work.”

Most of the outside construction will be done while school is in session.

“It might be loud, but we wont have to stop school,” Chappell said.

Inside construction and changes will be done during the summer months. The entire project is expected to take 510 days.