MFISD students and staff will see big changes after Christmas break
When students and staff return to Marble Falls High School after Christmas break, work on major renovations to the campus will be underway. The plans call for a dramatic change to the entryway as well as connecting the cafeteria and library. The work is part of a $55 million bond passed in 2018. Other projects include connecting a hallway at Highland Lakes Elementary School in Granite Shoals to the main building and adding security across the district. Rendering courtesy of MFISD
When Marble Falls High School and Highland Lakes Elementary School students and staff return after Christmas break, they’ll find plenty of changes on their campuses.
“There will be significant work at the high school,” said Dr. Chris Allen, the Marble Falls Independent School District superintendent. “The building will appear very different when students … return after the holidays. The parent pickup and drop-off will be a lot different as will the way students move around the building.”
It’s all part of the $55 million bond that MFISD voters passed in 2018. The district began some work earlier this year, but the major renovations will begin during Christmas break and continue into the new year.
The district is holding a public information meeting at 5:45 p.m. Thursday, December 12, in the high school auditorium, 2100 Mustang Mile in Marble Falls, to go over renovation plans, particularly how it affects traffic flow and students.
At the high school, renovations include a new front entrance and expanding the fine arts spaces. The cafeteria also will be expanded and brought together under one connecting roof with the student courtyard and library. The courtyard is currently an exposed area.
The roof also will tie in with the fine arts buildings.
“It’s going to dramatically change the front of the high school and the entryway,” Allen added.
Click here for a video on changes at Marble Falls High School.
At Highland Lakes Elementary, construction crews will connect the fourth-grade hall with the main building and expand the campus’ support services offices.
This will reduce the number of entry points on campus.
Click here for a video on changes at Highland Lakes Elementary School.
The heart of the project is security, not just at the high school and elementary school but across the district.
Using bond funding, the district has added lockdown systems and keyless access points at its campuses. Another safety measure is to improve parking and traffic circulation where needed.
Other renovations include:
• expanding the girls’ locker room in the high school’s Max Copeland gym;
• improving acoustics and sound proofing in the Marble Falls Middle School band hall;
• and renovating the old junior high building, also called the “Pink Building,” for additional classroom and Head Start space.
Click here for a video on work to be done on the Pink Building.
“We’re so appreciative to the community for the opportunity to do this work,” Allen said. “But for all the excitement about the renovations and improvement to the look of the campuses, at the end of the day, it’s primarily about ensuring safe and secure schools for all our students.”