Last year, students, parents, and staff members were left scratching their heads as to what was happening behind the WHS Campus. The sounds of construction could even be heard all the way from the interstate. It seemed that every type of heavy machinery was in the back of the school at one point or another. After a little over a year of hard work and 13.4 million dollars, there is now what everyone knows today as the Career and Technical Center (CTC) and the Multi-purpose Activity Center (MAC) buildings.
Both projects started construction on October 16th, 2017, as a result of the 2015 bond election. The bond allowed the school board almost 75 million dollars for upgrades to the district in any way, shape or form.
The CTC budget consisted of the remaining funds from the bond, but the MAC funding came straight out of the 2017-2018 general operating budget. Both buildings were built under the supervision of Pogue Construction. Some of the construction company’s previous projects include Prosper High School, Mckinney High School, and the newly completed Shirley Hall Middle school.
Some of the classes that are currently taking place are the Agricultural classes, Health Science, Architecture & Construction, and Welding. But those four classes are going to be the only ones that will be offered in the building for the time being.
“I don’t have any classes [in the CTC] but I think it’s good that they are moving the career classes closer to the school for the ones who don’t have a car,” said senior Katelin Porter.
But one thing that struck the students and staff as odd was how the CTC is mainly constructed of glass. With security being the main priority to almost every school district across the nation, why is the structure mainly composed of a substance that can be easily be seen through and broken? More over, with the money spent by the district, why couldn’t providing the campuses with more Student Resource Officers be prioritized for safety, something that both parents and students agree that could be very beneficial to the entire student body and staff?
“We are an educational institution and there is a great deal of research that supports the effect of natural light on the learning environment. There are a number of other ways to build in safety features other than block walls,” said Superintendent of Weatherford ISD, Dr. Jeffrey M. Hanks.
The Multipurpose Center, on the other hand, has no glass and was not built with any of the bond money. The multipurpose center was made to house recreational group activities such as Band, Cheer, Baseball, and Football.
“Currently, there are no classes scheduled in the MAC, but all sorts of groups have used it and will continue to use it as we move into colder weather,” said Dr. Funk, Principal of Weatherford High School. “It has been a life saver for our marching band this fall with all the rain. Many bands our area have had very limited ability to work on their shows, but ours were able to go into the MAC and fine tune their show. It is set up for baseball/softball, football, soccer, and I’ve seen track and golf both make great use of a facility like this in the past.”
Dr. Funk says that it is “a lifesaver for the Band.” However, many Band students have expressed that they have only been able to use the facility a handful of times out of the entire season due to the fact that the football team requires many time slots on the sign-up sheet.
Yet as time goes on, students remain optimistic that there will be enough use of both structures to make the time and money spent worth the while for the entirety of WHS in the present and future.