New Texas City High School campus opens

TEXAS CITY — The memories will linger, but few Texas City High School students were missing their old high school campus Wednesday. After all, it was their first day in the new $54 million, 355,000-square-foot school.

“I think it’s been awesome,” senior Shawn Archibald, 19, said of the new campus. “I don’t agree with those

people complaining it’s lame. It’s better than what we had.”

“We finally have something that doesn’t feel like it’s been handed down,” junior Jennifer Hamilton, 17, said.

Tamaran Racy, 16, said she liked how open the campus is compared to the old one.

School officials reported few problems on the first day at the new campus. As to be expected, a few students had trouble finding their classrooms as they got used to the new hallways.

Some students didn’t realize bicycle racks are at the back of the school, so they chained their bikes to light poles at the front of the campus.

All in all, Principal Mark Chatham was pleased with how the first day on the new campus went for his staff and students. During a quick tour of the campus, he showed off the 14 new science classrooms/labs.

There had been only three science labs at the old campus and the high school science teachers had to plan out their schedules to accommodate lab days.

Each science teacher now has a lab. And each is set up in pods so that teachers have a shared working area in back of the classrooms for storage.

Each of the 64 classrooms on campus is wired for high-tech devises as well, Chatham said. That includes plugs for iPods or iPads that connect to overhead speakers and the projector for instructional purposes or just to have background music as students work.

One of the key features is something that isn’t there — lockers.

Instead, the textbooks are kept in the classroom and can be checked out by the students, who also have book bags to lug around their class work.

Senior Alesha Richard, 19, sang the new campus’ praises and said she was especially impressed how designers made sure there are plenty of hints of orange and black — the school colors — throughout the campus. The desks in each classroom even have a Stingaree mascot to carry on the school spirit theme.

Richard also bragged on the technology, including more computers throughout and the ability to log in at any terminal and be able to access her work for yearbook or another computer based class.

About the only thing students agreed they didn’t like about the new campus was a crackdown on the rule of no food or drink in the classrooms.

“I understand it’s so we don’t ruin the new things,” Richard said. “But no one likes the rule.”

Contact Mainland Editor T.J. Aulds at 409-683-5334 or tjaulds(at)galvnews.com.

+++

By The Numbers

LOCATION: 1431 Ninth Ave. N. in Texas City.

COST: $54 million ($7 million under budget)

SQUARE FEET: 355,000

CLASSROOMS: 64

COMPUTER LABS: 6

SCIENCE LABS: 14

AUDITORIUM SEATS: 650

PARKING: 3 front lots with 500 spaces with 14 handicapped spots. Back lot with 148 spots and 12 handicap spots

SOURCE: Texas City Independent School District