By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays USD 489 cut the ribbon on its new $115 million high school during its annual Maroon and Gold scrimmage Friday night.
On hand were school administrators, the Hays High staff, six of the seven school board members, and representatives of Nabholz Construction, the district's construction manager, and DLR, the district's architect.
SEE RELATED STORY: New Hays High opens for first day of classes
Hays USD 489 Superintendent Ron Wilson welcomed the community to the new school.
"My goal five years ago when we started this project was to give our students, staff and community everything they deserved—what they deserved was a modern, safe and inspiring 5A school," he said.
He said he believed the goal has been reached.
He noted the new football field has a "Hays" monument on its north side.
"The Hays monument will no doubt be the site of many photo opportunities for special moments and events that will take place within the school for many, many years. However, I believe these four letters represent more than a bunch of concrete poured into molds to spell out the name of our city," Wilson said.
"What those four letters mean is that it's a symbol to recognize how our Hays community made an investment in our kids," he said.
He said generations of students will likely pose for photos at that sign.
"The most important thing that our Hays monument gives us is that it is a reminder of what great things can be achieved when a community comes together for kids. Thank you, Hays community, for investing in our kids," he said.
He thanked the Hays High staff, who were invited on the new turfed football field. They worked many hours to box up the contents of the former high school and prepare the new building for the start of the school year, he said.
He thanked the school board for its support as well as DLR and Nabholz Construction, whose staff left their families for up to two years to build the new Hays High.
He praised Hays High Principal Shawn Henderson for his work on shaping the plans for the school while also running a 1,000-student high school and earning a High School Principal of the Year Award.
Henderson also praised the staff for their hard work preparing the school for students.
"Their professionalism, care, and concern are unmatched," he said, "and they are truly what make the walls of this school come to life. One of our district's core values is to 'sell the opportunities and possibilities' for our students' futures, and they exemplify that every day."
He thanked the school board and the community for valuing students enough to provide them with an innovative space.
To the students he said, "... It means something to be a graduate of this school, it means something to come from this community, and it means something to consider a return when you're in a position ot choose your zip code moving forward.
"That's why you see the word Hays throughout this building. We want you back here."
He urged parents and community members to tour the many areas of the school that will help students achieve greatness. Some of those included a new performing arts center, athletic fields, art studios, journalism and video production labs, culinary arts kitchen, and collaborative spaces.
"Now that we have the building, we are going to continue pushing to be the best. We are going to raise the bar and strive towards excellence each and every day," Henderson said.
Ishita Banerjii, DLR project manager, said she was pleased to help design a building that will help the Hays students shine for years to come.
"As Ron said, this is not a school for one generation. It is a school for multiple generations," she said. "We know that we have given you a design that will serve you and that you will be proud of for years to come."
Brett Collins of Nabholz said it is truly amazing what can be accomplished when a community comes together and invests in their kids' future.
He thanked the Hays community for welcoming Nabholz during the last two years.
"We couldn't be more proud of this project, and it's been a pleasure to serve you all," he said.
The new school, which opened to students on Aug. 20, was opened to the public for tours after the ceremony.
The school was funded through a $143.5 million bond issue. The former high school is being remodeled for use as a middle school. Students are set to move into that space in January.
The final project in the bond is the renovation of the current high school into a new elementary school.
An expansion and renovation are underway at O'Loughlin Elementary School, and an expansion and renovation were completed at Roosevelt Elementary School last year.