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August 13, 2015
Transformation of Granbury
High School was featured in the August 2015 issue of District Administration magazine.
The magazine focused on new
and improved school facilities, with GHS highlighted on the cover and feature
article. A survey by the magazine
gathered data from hundreds of school administrators throughout the country who
are attempting to address aging or obsolete facilities.
Construction
at the high school began last November and will last through the summer of
2016. The Buford Thompson Company is the construction manager at-risk for all
GISD bond projects and is working alongside the Huckabee architectural firm.
The renovations and additions
to the high school campus are part of the $84.9 million bond program approved
by Granbury ISD voters in November 2013. Additions are for career and technical
education, fine arts, ninth grade academic classrooms, and office area with a
secure entry. The plan also includes building a robust technology
infrastructure for model classrooms throughout the school district.
“Renovations are not easy.
There is no way to do all the work in the summer, so you just have to have work
going on during the school year, which causes disruptions,” commented GISD
superintendent Dr. James Largent in the article. “We have had power outages, water leaks and
other minor things that have caused confusion and interrupted our school day.
But, the number of days affected has been minimal, we are working with a great
construction company that is responsive to our needs, and I keep telling our
staff and students, ‘Short-term pain equals long-term gain.’”
The design features a
collegiate look with Granbury stone to be used prominently to provide a
consistent look throughout the exterior of the building with entry points
clearly distinguished for parents and visitors. Inside, a commons area will be the focal point of the interior with the
cafeteria, library, and coffee bar similar to a university student center.
Academic departments will be
grouped, with teachers having a common office area to meet individually with
students, for tutoring, and for collaboration with their colleagues. Hallways
will be streamlined to provide efficient corridors for student movement and
supervision. In addition, CTE programs will be centralized in the back of the
building with a separate secure entry as well as classrooms and labs designed
specifically for those specialized programs.
This August, the campus will
open to students with a ninth grade addition that includes a new office area
along with the new learning commons and cafeteria, realigned offices for assistant
principals and counselors, new classroom space for special education programs, expanded
space for fine arts programs, and renovated locker rooms and sports medicine
areas in the field house and James Wann Sports Center. The front of the building features a new wayfinding
trellis and courtyard area with a parent drop-off and pick-up lane that aligns
with Pirate Drive. In addition, the
school has new parking lots as well as a new area for the bus transportation
hub and marching band practice grid.
“Our staff and kids have been
very patient and understanding and I can’t wait to see the look on their faces
when we open the ‘new’ high school,” commented Largent.
Fall 2015 construction plans
will continue work on the career and technical education center addition,
renovation of the auditorium and science classrooms, and realignment of space
in the lower grand hall for the Marine Corps JROTC program.
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