The 2014 bond issue promised a lot to Poplar Bluff High School according to the 2014 Election Fact Sheet published on the school district's web site, and according to Principal Mike Owen, all promises were kept. Owen said although there have been "growing pains" associated with the new construction, the benefits of the project far outweigh the negatives.
"When you actually get to come in and see what has taken place, the growing pains seem worth it," Owen said.
This is the final story in a Sunday series taking an in-depth look at promises made versus promises kept one year after completion of the first phase resulting from passage of the 2014 bond issue.
According to the fact sheet, to complete the high school on the former 5th and 6th Grade Center's campus, which sits on 80 acres, approximately 132,400 square feet was added to create new specialized spaces such as science classrooms, media center, music facilities, a gymnasium, wrestling room, weight room, Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps facilities and various other spaces.
The original building was to be reused to service the more traditional high school elements including the kitchen, standardized classrooms, practice gym and cafeteria.
The fact sheet said there was sufficient room to add all athletic fields, including a new stadium to house football, track and soccer, marching band practice field, space for JROTC, tennis courts, softball and baseball fields. Another proposed benefit applied to the high school students who attend the Poplar Bluff Technical Career Center, which was already located on the property.
Owen said keeping the athletes on campus after school for practice has been a great improvement to the safety of the students.
"As a dad, when you see a bunch of teenagers load up into a car to drive across town to a practice field with a teenage driver, it's scary," Owen said. "Now, it's a huge piece of mind for us as a school and it should be a huge piece of mind as well as a safety improvement for our kids."
Physics teacher Gail Karlish said the new science classrooms have been "a blessing" for her and for the students.
Karlish said upgrading from C Building, which was demolished during construction, at the former high school campus has allowed her the adequate space and necessary tools to help take science from merely a concept to a hands-on learning experience. She said hands-on activities help students arrive to full understanding of the subject. She said 2016 was the first year she'd had a true science classroom since 1990.
"Now it's not 'what could we pull off,' now it's 'which one do we want to do,' Karlish said.
The band facilities also saw major upgrades, including two large classrooms, sufficient storage and individual practice rooms. The marching band now has its own practice field and no longer has to maneuver around a student parking lot.
Superintendent Scott Dill said the music and science departments are in a position to grow.
"They have everything they need now to move forward and find success," Dill said.
As for the growing pains, Owen said hallway crowding was an issue last year and will continue to be. However, he said he saw traffic flow improve as students became familiar with the campus. He also said adjusting bell times seemed to relieve anxiety between classes and by giving students six minutes instead of five made a substantial difference.
A new greenhouse for the agriculture program has yet to be finished, but Owen said he anticipates it will be complete by the beginning of school on Aug. 17. The original greenhouse still stands at the middle school and Dill said he is excited to see how it is used in the future.
"It wasn't practical to even consider moving it," Dill said. "It is a nice facility and it has a lot of potential as well. As they continue to grow into that facility, I'm excited to see how that fits into their instructional program."
"Overall, we're 100 times better off than we used to be. Having everyone under one roof is huge," Owen said.
Standout issues with the athletic facilities are in the process of lining out. Administrators are moving forward with steps to address the flooding and runoff on the track and the football practice field is starting to see grass growing, which will be relief for the football and soccer teams currently sharing a field and alternating practice times.
"While there is a problem at the stadium, it is important for the public to know that facility was built to the specifications of the engineers, of the installers," Dill said. "Water management is difficult. We will get that taken care. The important thing is we get that facility where it needs to be for our kids."