ELKINS — Bigger classrooms, new classrooms and new laptop computers for all students are a few of the reasons why students at Elkins High School like their new school.
The 68,206-square-foot building was “officially” opened with a ribbon cutting in the new auditorium Monday. Some 300 patrons and education officials attended the event which also included tours of the new building.
Tony Bowlin, a 14-year-old ninth-grader, helped greet patrons, saying he was glad the new school was open.
“It’s very simple and easier to get around in,” Bowlin said. “It’s better than the old one; it’s like coming from a chicken house to this. It’s amazing.”
Chris Eaton, 17 and a senior, said he had been a student in Elkins schools for 12 years and the best part of the new high school was the new technology. The 360 students at the high school were each issued a new laptop at the start of the school year.
“And, it’s good looking,” Eaton said, of the building itself.
Megan Ketcher, a senior representing the student body, told the audience during a 30-minute program students have said they love being all in one building, the new technology, bigger classrooms and better restrooms.
Holly Henry, 16 and a junior, is president of the school’s FFA chapter and said she likes the new agriculture classroom and shop.
“It’s so amazing. We can do more activities in this classroom and it’s easier for people to see what we’re doing,” she said.
A fellow FFA member, Maricela Maqueda, 15 and a sophomore, said she likes the new band room because it has higher ceilings and the music sounds better.
Another FFA member, Courtney Shumate, also 15 and a sophomore, the new computers are what she likes best.
“We get our own laptop. That helps with homework and furthers our knowledge,” she said.
The building is a reflection of community support which was acknowledged throughout the 30-minute program by Superintendent Dan Jordan, School Board President Bryan Delozier and Elkins Mayor Bruce Ledford. School patrons in 2010 approved a 4.6-mill increase in the tax rate to finance the the $10 million construction cost. The district also received about $6.9 million in state assistance.
Former Superintendent Megan Witonski, who resigned in June for a position at the Arkansas Department of Education, also was recognized for her efforts in the millage campaign and leading the construction. After the program, she said, “I love it. We needed it so badly.”
Jeff Eddleman, a teacher in his 26th year at the high school, summed up the occasion, “It’s long time coming for Elkins. I give credit to the community.”