McDonald County High School held the grand opening of its Performing Arts Center on Monday night.
The night began with the high school band playing the national anthem and the JROTC presenting the colors. Dr. Mark Stanton gave a welcome, thanking several groups of people for their part in bringing the performing arts center into being.
"I'm very excited about the future of this building and how it will be used for decades. I'm very proud," he said.
Dr. Scott Goldstein, school board president, also spoke, noting, "This allows us to give another group of our students another avenue to reach for their dream."
Following these remarks, the concert band played a piece. Also on the schedule of events Monday night was the jazz band, drama, a poetry reading and the show choir. A high school art show was on display in the performing arts center lobby as well as in the high school cafeteria.
"This is a night we've been waiting for and looking forward to for a couple of years now," art teacher Charlene Bergen said. "It's such a beautiful building, and I know the kids will get so much good out of it. I love being part of something bigger than myself."
The auditorium, which seats 625, doubles as a tornado shelter. As a shelter it will hold more than 1,000 people and will be open to the community after school hours when there is a tornado threat. With concrete walls and minimal glass, the building is rated to withstand an EF-5 tornado. It was paid for in part by a grant from FEMA that paid 75 cents per dollar on three tornado shelters in the school district. The building is valued at $5.6 million.
General News on 05/05/2016