A tour of the construction site for Arkansas Middle School was given to the Texarkana, Arkansas School District Board of Trustees on Thursday evening, showcasing the inside of the building that should open its doors to students in March.
The completion date for construction of the school is Jan. 25, and a ribbon-cutting will be held in March, Superintendent Dr. Becky Kesler said.
AMS is divided into four specific wings: one fine arts wing, with the other three being dedicated to grades sixth, seventh and eighth.
There is a large hallway that connects all four wings, in addition to a media center right next to said hallway. There is a full gymnasium and practice court next to the cafeteria, which includes an amphitheater stage.
Above the gym is a weight room, and there are coach offices looking onto the court.
Specific aspects of the school regarding design come with input from teachers, band directors or coaches who will be working there.
As a result of the feedback received, one of the key features the fine arts wing contains is what district officials call a "band suite."
Kesler said each grade wing will also contain state-of-the-art science labs, and all classrooms will feature built-in storage with counter and cabinet space.
"I think everybody in the entire district is excited, between not just the students and the teachers, but I think parents are starting to get on board," Kesler said. "That's one reason why we wanted to bring our board out here tonight, just to see what the inside looks like. Our kids have not had a new facility to go to for a very long time. So, yes, we're very excited."
The $26 million project will not increase taxes, Kesler said. Instead, bonds were restructured and $6 million is partnership money will be used for the new building. The district plans to furnish the new school with magnet school funds.
"This school has been built without raising taxes at all for the residents of Texarkana, Arkansas," she said. "We're so proud that we were able to do that. And we are so fortunate to have a magnet grant, so we're able to use some of those funds to purchase furniture and equipment for the science lab. We feel very, very fortunate."
Kesler said the COVID pandemic hasn't been as much of a roadblock in construction as the amount of rain has been over the past year, resulting in them being about a month behind schedule.
Seventh- and eighth-grade students will first make the move to AMS in March. Sixth graders will be the last to move to the new building early next school year because they will still have two full years to attend the new school.
"We really expect a notch up because now (students) can do a lot of hands-on things," Kesler said. "It's just at their fingertips. The teachers can't wait to get in here and try some of the new things out and keep the kids engaged. Because I think it's going to be easier to keep the kids engaged in a new school like this that has so many features that their old schools don't have."
College Hill Elementary, which is 63 years old, will be phased out of use as a school when Arkansas Middle School opens.
Second through fifth grade students will go to what is now College Hill Middle School. In the 21-22 school year, the current College Hill Middle School will house kindergarten through fifth grades.
AMS is the first new school TASD has constructed in 38 years.