After visiting 19 other schools and concluding that Shores’ facilities were in dire need of renovation, the school board decided to propose a bond.

     That bond was passed last year with a main goal to renovate the district’s high school, middle school, and elementary schools. 

    "We knew there were district needs; however, we had to work within an affordable budget, so we had to prioritize," principal Jennifer Bustard said. "Instead of raising everyone’s taxes to pay for the bond, we extended the tax rate for two more years to be respectful to taxpayers."

    The renovations at the high school, which are being made possible by Buck Construction and the architects of Hooker DeJong, will happen in phases.

    The first phase includes the interior of some classrooms. The rooms are scheduled to be ready for use by the beginning of school.

    Some science rooms, including the anatomy and physiology room, will be getting water and electrical access that is necessary for actual labs.

    Science teacher Deanna Smalligan, who sometimes had to switch rooms to do experiments last year, said, "(The renovation is) great because now we can do science labs without coordinating with other teachers to switch rooms."

    The newspaper and yearbook classes will be getting a new publications room as well.

    The second phase will include renovations to the music rooms and other science rooms, including chemistry areas.

    All science rooms will be getting new lab tables, chairs, and electrical hookups with lab stations on the outer walls. This will be finished by October.

    This phase also includes the football field entrance, which will be ready by Oct. 9, just in time for Homecoming and the district’s 50^th anniversary.

    "With this bond, we are fulfilling the needs of the building," Ms. Bustard said. "We’re finally getting much needed renovations."

    The third and final phase deals with creating a new gymnasium; however, construction for this did not start until a couple weeks ago and will not be finished until the fall of 2010.

    "When we passed the bond, it was a proud moment to know we’re able to provide our community with the finest facilities," Ms. Bustard said. "These renovations will bring a strong sense of school and community pride."