WHS 2010: Early Morning Light

Friday, November 7, 2008

Early Morning Light

Some mornings when I am driving in to school I stop by the main entrance and check out the progress of our new school. I love the morning light in this valley. Complemented with the fall color, this is going to be a beautiful campus.
The next photo is taken directly from our driveway. If you go up old 421 in front of the Wilco Hess station headed east you will see our driveway about .5 mile on the right. It is directly across from Mountlawn Memorial Gardens. Pull over to the side and enjoy seeing the campus and our main building. This is the view from the top of our driveway. This photo is a stitched panorama that when you click to enlarge should allow you to look around inside of the school.

The viewer will notice the masonry work on the wing on the right side. I love the colors we have chosen. It is not a bright red brick, but a burn flashed darker brick. The split face CMU is also a warm earth tone. Soon the exterior wall will be up and we will not be able to look inside. Another new feature to note is our roof finish! We debated long about what color the roof should be (Blue, Green, White?). I am really pleased to see how nice the Charcoal Gray looks and how it harmonizes with our masonry.

Behind those columns (which are along the front walkway) you will see an open space with a strong diagonal shadow. That is the inside of our Theater! To the left you can see the two tiered balcony. Our theater house will have a 6% rake and a raised stage will be on the right in this photo. BTW Pioneer Playmakers are at State Competitions this week, "break a leg"!

In this photo, the morning light shows our roof design very nicely.

For the Art of the Photograph:

The next photo is shared simply for the beauty of the form and composition of the image. I love the curves and angles, verticals and textures, light and shadow of this photo.

Sometimes it is worth taking a minute to reflect upon the beauty that can be found in the moment. It is at these times I can imagine the future in our new school. I so hope I get to teach in our new WHS.

If you haven't driven by the site recently, go be inspired. :-)

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Board Chairman Lowell Younce reflections

Good morning!

On behalf of the Watauga Board of Education, we would like to express our appreciation to all who have assisted us in our studies, planning, and financing the dream and now the reality of a new Watauga High School.

We have said for years that we need to invest wisely in the future of our children. This new facility is a good example of a wise investment.

Watauga County Schools have top performing and achieving students and very competent and effective employees. With this new, updated and modern educational facility, we know that we can and will improve our student performances; as well to better prepare them to enter into the global world of today and in the future.

The construction of a new Watauga High School was not the work of any one individual, board member, or community; nor did the planning, design, financing, and construction of the facility take place overnight.

For several years after the construction of the WHS in 1965, many discussions and considerations were made regarding the facility providing the necessary resources students need to successfully and adequately complete their secondary education requirements.

From 2001 to 2003 the board of education discussed the options and possibilities of a second high school in numerous work sessions and meetings. Local funding did not allow us to pursue this option. In 2003 the BOE developed a “Five Point Plan” that would have addressed the following: construction of a second high school, construction of two new high schools, extensive expansion and renovation of the current facility, removal of the ninth grade to a separate facility or development of an off-campus program serving a significant number students.

On April 4, 2003 the “Five Point Plan” was greatly discussed at the Watauga Education Summit sponsored by Watauga County Schools and Boone Chamber of Commerce. The purpose of the forum was to bring together educators, public officials, business leaders, parents, staff, students and taxpayers to have dialogue on critical issues and trends facing our school system in the 21^st century. Dr. Richard Jones, who was then our school superintendent and many others, shared their vision and concerns toward all aspects of education. The Summit’s theme was “It’s Time to Choose”- a reference to the ongoing debate relative to one high school, two schools, or some other school organizational plan. In my opinion, this meeting was important, if not the most important, to involve the entire county in the theme “It’s Time to Choose”.

In July of 2003 we welcomed Dr. Bobbi Short as our new school superintendent. Dr. Short was in total agreement that some solution to our facility needs should be addressed. Dr. Short soon recommended that we do a professional feasibility study. The study results conducted at each of our school districts clearly showed a need for a new high school at a new site. The Board of Education agreed and in 2004 we began the site selections and plans for a new high school.

In 2005, a sub-committee was formed by the Watauga County Board of Education and the Watauga County Board of Commissioners. Membership of this committee was two board members from each board, school superintendent, and the county manager. Our purpose was to share our concerns and issues with better communication and understanding of the county school system by both boards. Planning, design, and financing of the new WHS have been the top priority of this committee from 2005 to present.

In 2006 after years of discussion and feasibility studies, the Watauga Board of Education and the Watauga Board of Commissioners concluded that the best option for our students, employees, and the taxpayers of Watauga County was to build a new high school at a new site. The decision was based on the cost of renovations projected by professional consultants to be $35,000,000.00 and the sale of the current WHS to help reduce the cost of a new state of the art high school was the most logical option.

The dedicated assistance by so many, including those I have mentioned earlier, as well as the key communicators, WHS planning committee members, WHS core committee members, our current school superintendent Dr. Marty Hemric, project manager Don Critcher, and so many others too numerous to name in this article have brought us to where we are today.

In conclusion, the Watauga Board of Education would like to say an enormous thank you to all that have assisted us in this project, especially the taxpayers of Watauga County. The children of our county will certainly reap the rewards of educational success by the wise investment ALL have made.

WHS 2010

Friday, November 7, 2008

Early Morning Light

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