The St. Helens School District is going to YouTube to allow you to get a sneak peek at construction going on at St. Helens High School.
When you visit " Current SHHS Construction 7-23-2024 ,” on YouTube you’ll see a 4-minute video that shows several facets of the ongoing construction process, including the wrestling room, the auxiliary gym, the main gym on the upper mezzanine and the child care wing.
In addition to classrooms, the video shows the Building B and C connection as well as the Building A and B connection.
According to the school district, work has been moving forward on Phase 1 of the project, with a focus on several improvements, including connecting buildings A and B with a covered enclosure and classrooms to increase safety.
The district also added state-of-the-art science classrooms and consolidated the cafeteria and commons area into a single space.
“For the past 40 years, St. Helens High School had two separate eating areas, creating a division along socioeconomic lines, at times, depending on where meals were served,” Superintendent Scot Stockwell said, emphasizing that students, themselves, had asked the district to build a facility where they all could come together to eat and no longer be separated.
Stockwell continued, “While this change might seem insignificant from the outside, the simple act of coming together and eating in one place helps foster a sense of belonging for all students.”
Phase 1 has not been entirely completed, the district says, stating that with large construction projects like the high school renovation, not everything is completed simultaneously due to the availability of materials, the order of construction and the availability of skilled labor.
“The timing of the last bond made it impossible for us to purchase, install and complete some aspects of Phase 1 before moving on to the next phase without falling behind schedule,” Stockwell said, noting, “Much of the remaining work has been made possible by the generous support of our community.”
In Phase 1, items yet to be completed include new seating and carpeting in the auditorium, new lockers in the men’s and women’s locker rooms, updated cabinets and a cement walk from the gyms to the stadium.
The school district expects most of the construction work will be completed by the start of the 2025-26 school year, but final touches may extend into the fall.
“We are fortunate to have the support of our community, which passed three bonds to support the construction of all three secondary schools in the St. Helens School District,” Stockwell said. “For the high school project alone, funds from the three bonds and interest total a little over $80 million.”
Stockwell added, “We are proud to have maximized our community investments. In comparison, other school districts in the metro area are spending between $200 and $400 million to renovate schools of similar size.”
Work in progress also includes the atrium area, the former library, baseball and softball field work and the culinary arts classroom.
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