GRANGER – Granger Independent School District honored the past, present and future as the district broke ground on a new building.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held for its new high school location Tuesday, Aug. 1, a mark which symbolizes the beginning of the project’s construction.
When construction is completed, the high school students will leave behind the building that housed them for 100 years. Jenifer Neatherlin, superintendent of Granger ISD, said the district is racing for growth during the ceremony.
“As we embrace this future, we must never forget the roots of Granger,” Neatherlin said. “Let’s remember that our strength lies not just in our building, but in our unity and shared vision of what tomorrow should look like.”
The school will be a twostory building and will hold roughly 375 students. It will have an administrative suite, a single point of entry for visitors, a 500-seat competition gym with locker rooms and a weight room, a commercial kitchen and cafeteria, a band hall and a vocational welding shop.
Additionally, there will be 14 classrooms, including science labs, a computer lab, a life skills suite, a media center, an audio/visual lab and a vet technician classroom.
The project is expected to take anywhere from 18 to 23 months. Students and faculty are expected to move into the completed building in time for the 2025-26 school year.
Granger High School will remain in its current setup in the meantime, which is essentially merged with the elementary campus.
“It’s been a long time,” said Daryl Stefek, Granger ISD school board president. “It’s a giant step in the right direction.”
City officials, school administrative faculty, architect designers, construction crew members and Granger residents were present during the event. The high school’s volleyball team, football team and cheerleading team showed up as well.
Every attendee had the option to take a vial of dirt with them as a keepsake to remember the occasion.
“This site is bursting with energy because of all of you,” Neatherlin said to the attendees. “I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude and excitement. It’s all possible because of this community.”
The new high school is a part of the May 2022 bond. The $44 million bond and will also bring in a new athletic complex.
Construction on the athletic complex is scheduled to begin June 2024. It is expected to have a new football stadium with an outdoor track, a baseball field and softball field.The district is partnering with Berry & Clay Construction, GLS Architects and Project Control for the project.
