| The new Carbon High School track’s bright blue sets the tone with the green grass for football season. The new team building at the south end of the field makes this stadium one of the best high school facilities in the state. An addition to the main building (2nd photo) also opens this fall with more computer lab and classroom space that was badly needed at the school. |
With the opening of the 2002-2003 school year, Carbon School District secondary students will be seeing some new buildings on old campus’ and some old buildings that have had some major remodeling done to them.
Major construction projects completed this summer included the additions at Mont Harmon Junior High and Carbon High School, along with a major rennovation at Helper Junior High to update the building from it’s 1930’s beginnings.
The largest project has been the one at Carbon High School. The addition of classroom space, along with a total rennovation of the football stadium and the addition of team building at the south end of the field has created a lot of excitment on the senior high campus.
“I was up at Highland High School in Salt Lake last week and we now have more seating capacity than they do,” said Carbon High principal Robert Cox as he worked with football coach Jeff Jorgensen on the field Tuesday morning. “I think we have one of the best facilities in the state now.”
A tour of the field and of the new team facility tells the story. The old dirt hills along side the bleachers have been replaced not only with more bleachers. but also terraces with grass on them giving the stadium an almost “baseball park” feeling. These terraces are not only beautiful but also functional. People can sit there during games on their own chairs or on blankets.
The new sky blue track, that will soon be lined stands in stark contrast to the new green turf on the field. New lights were also installed and they will make it so the field will light up like it is midday during night games.
The team building has parking for buses, and two large locker rooms with shower areas and restrooms. Teams visiting Carbon will no longer have to conduct their half time huddle on the field but will now have their own private area to reside.
Up by the main building an addition with eight classrooms was put in the court. The addition is done, but filling them is not quite finished as most of them will be for new computer labs that are being installed.
Across town Mont Harmon Junior High also is sporting a new addition with classrooms and computer areas. This is a valuable update to a building that was not set up for computer labs when it was built.
“We are very excited about the new addition,” said principal Jan Avery as she talked with students and parents during registration on Tuesday morning.
At Helper Junior High things are not quite as far along, largely because their project didn’t start until after school was out in the spring.
“This is pretty unique,” said principal Tom Montoya. “We are probably the only school that has ever had registration going on in the shop area,” as he walked through a line of students that were waiting in front of the shop building on the side of the school.
Helper’s building has had a large renovation this summer with almost all the outside windows being replaced and a large portion of the interior being torn up and replaced as well. Right now the building is still in disarray, but it is amazing what can be accomplished in a couple of weeks by dedicated construction and maintenance workers.
On the other end of the county, East Carbon High has not had any interior or exterior renovation to the building itself, but in it’s own way has almost as much work being done on it’s athletic facilities as Carbon High.
Beginning last spring crews began tearing up the old football field, track and knocking down the rickety bleachers that stood west of the field.
Today a new set of modern metal bleachers stand next to a paved track that will soon get the same treatment as Carbon’s track did. The grass isn’t on the field yet, but it won’t be long. This rennovation will finally give East Carbon’s track team a good place to practice, the athletic department a place for outside intermural sports and opens up some other possibilities for future athletic programs.
“They even poured the footings for the football goal posts,” said principal Carol Wells. “But those are going to be used over at Helper Junior High.”
The school has no present plans to join the 1A football league that was started last year after years of absense from the smallest institutions in the state.
All in all, Carbon students will have some great new places to play and study this fall. A great beginning to a bright new school year.