Jan. 12, 2020, was a day of celebration.
The Jefferson City School District held open houses for the new Jefferson City High School and the new Capital City High School. We thought the weather and the Chiefs game might keep people away, but the turnout was fantastic. The Chiefs game was playing in both locations. Many people sat and watched the game in the commons areas as if they were at a family gathering.
There were so many community members who took time out of their Sunday afternoon to spend time exploring the new spaces, asking questions, becoming informed. Students from both high schools guided tours for community members. Students provided information and answered questions. Those students expressed pride in their new space, joy for no longer having to walk outside to move from classroom to classroom and gratefulness for not being packed into Simonsen like sardines.
The comments from the visitors were positive. There were many Jefferson City High School alumni in attendance. More than a few times, I heard those alumni say, "Wow, this high school really needed this face lift." They reminisced about their histories then concluded the new spaces were needed for the future. Jay Pride permeated the halls. Those same alumni visited Capital City High School and acknowledged it was a very different feel but, had the same positive energy. I heard many comments stating we had done a good job combating the "haves" and the "have nots." They felt both facilities rated differently but equally. Again, the support and pride from the community was shining through.
I spoke to a teacher in the Nichols Career Center who told me many teachers got 50 percent more space, and some teachers doubled their space. This space is being used for its intended purpose - career and technical education as opposed to math, which is now back in the original high school building.
We now have a second gymnasium (space we desperately needed) which serves as a storm shelter at each facility. We have collaborative spaces throughout the buildings. Students and teachers have space to work together and with other classes. We have safer, more flexible spaces which are conducive to learning, and we have room to grow. The project was done on time and under budget, and a majority of the work was done by local businesses.
The team of JC Schools employees works hard every day to serve the approximately 9,000 students in our district. It's difficult work. Many days, the work is overwhelming, leaving team members to wonder how it can all be accomplished. A day like Sunday, when we can share our pride, our accomplishments and the students can share their joy with the community, gives the team a boost.
It's a bit like the Chiefs game playing that day. When we left Jefferson City High School and arrived at Capital City High School, the Chiefs were down 21-0. It felt like we would be defeated. By the time we left Capital City High School, the Chiefs were up 28-24, and people became hopeful the Chiefs would win. We can do that in this school district. We can overcome our deficits and the negativity and come out ahead. We still have work to do. We still have space needs, academic challenges and behavior issues, but we want to give students hope for a better tomorrow.
You know my motto is to plug away 4 yards up the middle every day. Some 4 yards feel so much better than others. After 30 years of talking about this second high school and improving Jefferson City High School, these 4 yards felt really good. In fact, I think we can say we crossed the goal line on this one. I'm very proud to be a small part of it. Thank you, community, for the support!
Lorelei Schwartz is the president of the Jefferson City Board of Education. Her perspective is published monthly on the editorial page of the News Tribune.