Students enrolled in Jackson County Schools will return to the classroom for the new school year on Friday, and for Jackson County High School students, that includes going back to class in a brand new, state-of-the-art building.
The new Jackson County High School building, located on Skelton Road just off GA 332 in Hoschton, includes a variety of big improvements, Principal Jason Wester said.
“Brand new sports facilities, a new stadium, baseball, softball, gym, a practice gym,” Wester said. “We’ve got a state-of-the-art performing arts facility here that’s just absolutely incredible. The auditorium, the band room.”
Wester said student collaboration spaces are built into the facility, as well as a slew of technology additions that aim to aid in the learning process for students at the school. An example of this is smartboard technology, which is spread throughout the school, including in the hallways.
“It provides a time and a place anywhere in the building to provide instruction and for our kids to be able to work together,” Wester said. “We’re excited about that opportunity for them.”
One of the largest logistical improvements at the new building is an increased capacity for students. Wester said the building was built for over 1,600 students, a number which they will hit immediately upon the start of the school year.
“We are growing so fast,” Wester said. “We’re growing about as fast as you can grow. I think we finished last year at 1,463, and we’re at about 1,600 now. So we’re growing about 150 kids this year.”
Aside from the physical classroom space associated with being able to accommodate over 1,600 students, Wester said students should have an easier time navigating the new building without being involved in “traffic jams.”
“The traffic flow and the pattern within this building are just ideal for a large group of kids to be able to move freely and get from place to place,” Wester said.
The new facility is about 293,700 square feet, including the new athletic and outdoor facilities. The athletic and outdoor facilities include a slew of improvements, just like the interior of the building.
“Panther Park, which is where our baseball and softball complex is, we’ve got two brand new fields, brand new press box facility dugouts, pitching mounds,” Wester said. “Out stadium, it has a home and visitor side. Previously we only had a side that we shared … It’s just a great place to call home for our panther nation.”
All of this adds up to what Wester described as an exciting experience for faculty and staff leading up to the start of the new school year.
“It’s a point of pride for our community, it’s a point of pride for our students and our staff,” Wester said. “We just want to make sure what we are doing in our classrooms matches up with the amount of excellence in terms of the facility that we’re providing them now.”
The school's previous building, located off of 129 in Jefferson, has been completely renovated and converted into the Empower Career Center. AccessWDUN will have coverage on this new facility in the coming days.
To view photos of the new Jackson County High School building, click through the above photo gallery.
