Students in the Southside School District will start the upcoming academic year in a newly constructed $40 million high school. The facility, designed to support both college-bound and career-focused pathways, is set to open its doors on Aug. 13, according to a report from Jonesboro TV station KAIT.
The campus features advanced career-technical centers, modern agricultural and home economics shops, updated audio-visual technology, and expanded common areas. Superintendent Dion Stevens said the new high school reflects a forward-looking approach for students’ aspirations.
“We’re big on setting kids up for their future story,” Stevens told KAIT. “We don’t want them to have an intimidation factor of leaving here, going on to a two- or four-year university.”
One highlighted improvement is the new cafeteria, which Stevens said represents a significant upgrade from the previous school's lunchroom facilities.
Teachers had input into the design of their classrooms, according to Southside Band Director Tyler Fields, a district alumnus and decade-long faculty member. Fields noted that teachers contributed ideas based on their experiences to create spaces tailored to the needs of their programs.
“We kind of got to go through and say, ‘Hey, this is the kind of things that, based on our experience, our room is missing,’” Fields said. “This is what we need to take our program to the next level. And if we can make it happen, we did.”
The project, Fields added, reflects the community’s investment in its students’ futures. “Residents made sacrifices now for the district’s long-term benefit,” he said.
Additional details on the new facility are available at KAIT8.com.