GCSC to cut ribbon on new spaces at GHS, GMS July 30

While external changes to Greencastle High School have been evident for months, the general public will get its first peek inside the new and renovated areas with an open house on Tuesday, July 30.

Banner Graphic/JARED JERNAGAN

The result of three years of work and a $32 million bond issuance, the final pieces of a major construction project for Greencastle Community Schools is finally ready to be unveiled.

While none of the five school buildings in the corporation were untouched during the project, no area received more upgrades than the connected campuses of Greencastle High School and Greencastle Middle School, work that was completed during the summer months.

With the 2024-25 school year just around the corner, the schools will host a community open house and ribbon cutting from 5-7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 30.

The public is invited to tour and explore the new and renovated academic and athletic areas.

The new areas are a result of the construction of a connector between GHS and McAnally Center. While the safety of students was the reason for the addition, the space is being used for much more. In addition to the new hallway between the two buildings, the auxiliary gym was renovated and expanded to include two gym floors, while several other new spaces were added, including a weight room, wrestling room, cardio room and additional locker rooms in McAnally itself.

In both the high school and middle school, the science labs and media centers were modernized to reflect current technology and student needs. These upgrades shifted throughout the buildings during the life of the project, with other classrooms also receiving upgrades at the high school.

Steps were also taken to secure the entrance to each school, which in the case of the middle school meant relocating the front office.

Security and student safety was actually a guiding principle throughout the larger construction project. Not only was safety the motivation for the installation of the connector hallway, but all five school buildings, also including Ridpath, Deer Meadow and Tzouanakis, received upgrades to their entrances in the process.

At the middle school, McAnally and high school specifically, upgrades to the outward appearance of the buildings were also emphasized. A large version of the school’s purple oval G logo now marks each of the two buildings.

In one last bit of branding, in June, the Greencastle School Board authorized the addition of new graphics, painting and lettering at the east entrance of McAnally Center as well as a historical timeline in the walkway between GHS and McAnally.

Less major work is continuing at the two schools, with the Greencastle High School parking lot currently being repaved, while some flooring, painting and other asthetic changes will also be completed.

The ribbon cutting and open house come just ahead of the start of the new school year, as faculty orientation and a teacher work day follow on Aug. 1 and 2, and students return to school on Monday, Aug. 5.