A cold wind descended upon Gonzales on Tuesday afternoon but that did not deter faculty, parents and students from welcoming the newest addition to the GISD family.
The results of the November 2014 school bond were on display as a ribbon cutting was held for the new facilities at North Avenue Intermediate School, which houses 5th and 6th grade students. Superintendent Dr. Kim Strozier was on hand to lead the grand opening and welcome taxpayers into their new building.
“Over the years many renovations, expansions and additions have resulted in a beautifully historic campus still located on what was a Spanish land grant designated for churches and schools,” explained Strozier at the event.
Strozier described the campus’ history as beginning in 1949 and its renovations and additions throughout the decades. The year 1970 saw the school’s first expansion of classrooms and in 1980 it gained a gymnasium. In 1988 another classroom wing was added with a library and 2001 saw more classroom space and updates for current science labs.
And today, the new renovations add many amenities that are needed for a wired and connected classroom to keep students competitive with their big-city peers while staying true to its history. A façade that graced part of the old building was moved to the entrance of the new wing for visitors to enjoy.
The new educational building will house the mathematics department and is full of the latest bits of technology. Long-gone are the old-school chalkboards of yore. A large touch screen monitor will now allow students to interact with lessons.
A spacious new band hall will present a better learning environment for fine arts students and a renovated cafeteria boasts new kitchen equipment, motivational slogans and murals on the walls and an area designated for an internet café.
The tour had former North Avenue students from multiple decades visualizing the space now as compared to their school days. All agreed that it was a nice addition to the campus.
School administrators celebrated this day as the start of a rollout of new facilities that are scheduled in the coming weeks. The public is also invited to a ribbon cutting of the new student center at the Gonzales High School campus on March 3 at 5:30 p.m. The grand finale will be the grand opening of the Gonzales Primary Academy on March 10 at 222 St. Joseph Street at 5:30 p.m.