New Mt. Juliet High School Scheduled To Open in August 2008
august 2008, construction, education, mt. juliet high school,
The current Mt. Juliet High School is bursting at its proverbial seams. The building that was designed for 1‚250 students currently accommo dates 1‚600‚ and all available campus parking spaces are quickly filled every school-day morning.
But a brand-new Mt. Juliet High School is under construction a mile away from the current campus‚ and the three-story facility will open in August 2008. The spacious brick building is being constructed on 55 acres just south of Highway 70.
“If we can get through the 2007-2008 school year‚ there is welcome relief for 2008-2009‚” says Mel Brown‚ principal of Mt. Juliet High School. “The new school is being built to ultimately hold 2‚000 students‚ so our overcrowding problems should be alleviated beginning next August.”
Besides classrooms‚ amenities in the new school will include a 2‚000-seat gymnasium‚ a 500-seat auxiliary gym‚ a 1‚200-seat auditorium‚ numerous computer labs and a large lecture room like those found at colleges.
“There are also additional safety mechanisms‚ such as doors that will all lock down once the academic day begins‚ so that visitors can only access the building by the main entrance‚” Brown says.
As for athletic facilities‚ there will be a football stadium‚ soccer fields‚ baseball and softball diamonds and a track complex.
“Right now‚ the high school shares its football field with Mt. Juliet Middle School‚ but all of the new school’s facilities will be used solely by high school students‚” Brown says.
As for the vacated high school building in 2008‚ students currently at Mt. Juliet Middle School will immediately occupy it. Then some students at Mt. Juliet Elementary School will immediately occupy the vacated middle school.
“The old high school will become the ‘new’ middle school‚ with a capacity for 1‚400 students in grades 6-8‚” says Mickey Hall‚ deputy director for Wilson County Schools. “Then the vacated middle school will be used to alleviate some of the crowding at Mt. Juliet Elementary. In other words‚ in 2008 there will be two elementary schools in Mt. Juliet‚ with about 800 students going to the former middle school building and the rest continuing to attend the current elementary school.”
Also in the west end of the county‚ Wilson Central High School has already added 76‚000 square feet of building space to its existing campus‚ raising its capacity to a maximum 2‚000 students for the 2007-08 school year. And there are plans to ultimately replace Lebanon High School with a new 2‚000-student campus‚ although that construction effort is still four to five years away.
“The ultimate goal is for our three larger high schools to each handle 2‚000 students‚” Hall says. “At that point‚ our growing school system can finally breathe a little easier.”
Story by Kevin Litwin
