Construction projects and renovations at Flowing Wells High School have resulted in a brand-new dance studio, a renovated weight room, a remodeled auditorium and a new graphic-arts building.
All but one of the recent projects were funded by bond money the district obtained after voters in 2008 approved a roughly $20 million bond to fund school renovation projects.
"Now is the time to invest in infrastructure," Flowing Wells Superintendent Nicholas Clement said. "It impacts the number of kids that come into the programs and it impacts their performance."
The Graphic Arts Building, which houses a classroom and workshop, is a collaborative effort between the district and JTED, or the Joint Technological Education District.
The JTED, which funds career and technical-education courses for high school students, paid for the new structure and Flowing Wells leases the land to the district for $1 a year, Clement said.
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Classes in the new building started this school year.
Flowing Wells junior Cody Kaiser said the new graphic-arts building has inspired him to work harder at creating logos and slogans for companies.
"It's open and creative. I can express more of my artistic abilities in here," he said.
Graphic-arts instructor Mike Srsen said the environment in the new building sets a high standard for himself and his students.
"This is going to be a lot of fun to develop as we move forward," he said.
Across campus at the school's new dance studio, workers were putting the finishing touches on the cushioned floor.
Parents and students got to walk through the dance studio for the first time last week during the school's open house.
"Our other studio looks like a dance studio, but this one looks like a professional studio," senior Selene Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez, 17, dances with the school's Orchesis Dance Co.
"It's my last year. It's going to be sad to leave this building because it's new, but at least I get to dance in the new studio," she said.
The open house, held Sept. 21, also marked the first time students performed in the remodeled auditorium since it closed for renovations over the summer.
The auditorium was upgraded with a new lighting system, new carpet and seating, and enhanced acoustics.
Elsewhere in the auditorium, which is part of the fine-arts building, an old art room was converted into an orchestra room.
"We haven't had a dedicated orchestra room since the project started," Clement said.
To accommodate art classes, a separate building on campus was renovated to house an art room and a ceramics room.
Improvements to the campus weren't concentrated on the fine arts.
The high school's weight room was converted into a Fitness Center that's open on school days from 6 to 7 a.m. and again from 3 to 6 p.m. for students and staff to use for free.
Clement solicited donations from the community to pay the wages of a personal trainer, who monitors and assists the students and staff. New treadmills, spinning bikes and elliptical machines were purchased this summer and added to the workout center.
Clement was encouraged to transform the weight room into a fitness center after reading a book that ties fitness to the brain.
"The fitter we are the better our brain works," he said.
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Contact reporter Andrea Rivera at arivera@azstarnet.com or 807-8430.
