School may have been out for summer, but facilities work was in session at Thomas County Central High School throughout the break.
Upon returning to school for the new year, students were greeted with updates in two fine arts classrooms, band and chorus, as well as the addition of a new dance studio.
“They all look great,” TCCHS Assistant Principal James T. Rehberg said. “They really showcase some of the best aspects of our band and fine arts curriculum. We have amazing facilities that are very inviting to our students.”
The band room was due an update, Rehberg said. It still had the original carpet and paint from its construction back in the early 2000s.
“It needed a new look,” agrees band member Austin Ridley. “The carpet had several strings and some of the paint was peeling off the walls.”
Renovations included new paint and carpeting, as well as smaller enhancements to doorways, a walkway, and other areas.
“The new renovations make it look a lot ‘snazzier’,” senior band member Justin Barfield said.
TCCHS Bands Director Michael Thomas said the new paint helps lighten the whole area and the carpet gives the room “an entirely new look.” And, other improvements make the facility more accessible.
“We were able to alter some logistical items such as a couple of doorways, some of the required instrument storage areas, offices and even improved a walkway to aid in moving equipment in and out of the building,” he said. “The entire facility is a source of pride and just a fantastic area in which to work. It looks great and sets your expectations high every day.”
Ridley is enjoying the band room’s new look and appreciates the improvements made.
“I feel it adds to the learning environment,” he said of the renovations. “It makes me feel better about what I’m doing. They sort of add to the excitement of the new year and they make me want to push myself.”
The new dance studio (recently featured in the Times-Enterprise) expands the dance program that has been at Thomas County Middle School to the high school.
“We’ve had the dance program at the middle school for a few years now and there’s been an overwhelming interest from students to continue once they reached the high school,” Rehberg said. “They needed a dance studio.”
The room selected was the former chorus room and, since chorus needed an upgrade, the location was ideal for the dance studio. The new studio features mirrors, a proper dance floor, ballet barres, and new paint.
“It’s great for students as a form of exercise,” Rehberg said of the dance program. “It complements our band program and the dance line/Dazzlers. It enhances our fine arts program with another creative outlet for our students.”
TCCHS Choral Director Nicole Davis said her old room “was great for a lot of reasons” but the room’s configuration “was all wrong for us.” For example, she said, no space to store uniforms other than in the main classroom.
The new location (which was, at one time, the band room), has fresh paint, more space for easier movement, storage and practice rooms, and new risers.
“I love our new room,” Davis said. “It’s extremely spacious. We have storage room for the uniforms and sheet music, two practice rooms for student use, and the added bonus of incredible acoustics.”
AP Music Theory, now in its second year, also meets in the new chorus room.
“She had a 100 percent pass rate last year,” Rehberg said of Davis’s first year teaching the AP course. “Every student made a 3, 4, or 5 on the exam. That’s never happened before.”
Chorus students are thankful for the upgrades.
“Choir is the best thing that has happened to me and helped me grow as a person,” student Amber Shimkus said. “The renovations are very nice and add to what we are able to do as a choir. They help me as a student by giving additional space for things such as practicing and projects.”
Ariana Warren likes that the class now has a water fountain, which is an important tool to keep singers hydrated.
“It makes it a lot easier to sing longer without damaging your voice,” she said.
Also, In-School Suspension (ISS), formerly housed in what is now the chorus room, was moved to a larger classroom on B Hall and its room was renovated to allow for more space and technology to properly meet the needs of students.
Rehberg said the school wanted to take ISS “in a new direction” this year, so it needed a new home in a more academic setting.
“Students may not stay there all day,” he said. “They have access to computers and a full complement of academic resources. We involve other professionals such as counselors, reading specialists, and licensed therapists, if necessary, to meet with students and identify any areas where improvement might be beneficial and ultimately result in fewer ISS placements.”
Teachers are thankful for the system’s support of their programs.
“I am so appreciative that I work with a system and administrators that support the arts,” Davis said. “I know that we are very blessed.”
Thomas said, thanks to the efforts of many (including Director of Facilities and Maintenance John Hebron and his crews), these renovations were made without a large amount of downtime for the band. And, crews even preserved the room’s wall mural.
All of the enhancements were funded through the Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, or ESPLOST.
“All of our summer renovation projects are funded from ESPLOST dollars, as are technology equipment, buses, furniture, textbooks, playground equipment, and instructional equipment (including band instruments),” Thomas County Schools Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations Joey Holland said. “We could not have funded these projects without the ESPLOST.”
Thomas County Schools has announced it will seek a continuation of the ESPLOST for another five years and projects like the ones at TCCHS demonstrate the impact ESPLOST funds can have on system facilities and meeting student needs.
“In the current era of reduced state funding and increased operating costs, we rely on ESPLOST funding for the majority of our capital level expenditures,” Holland said. “We anticipate a vote in early 2016 to renew the ESPLOST for another five years, and continuing this funding source will be critical to maintaining our facilities and equipment in the near future.”
Rehberg said TCCHS is “trying to provide the widest spectrum of educational opportunities possible,” which includes fine arts programs. The school offers art, band, chorus, dance, drama, and three foreign languages (Spanish, French, and Latin).
“Students asked and we listened,” he said. “The fine arts really boost the value of an education, and our students really have a robust, classical foundation to build upon in college.”