Oxford High School is relocating to Sisk Avenue and is projected to be ready for students by January 2014.
The new school was needed due to growth in the school district, and more space was required to accommodate the rising number of high school students. The school will include academic space, a gymnasium, a cafeteria and athletic practice fields.
The school building itself is estimated to cost $30 million, $760,000 for new furniture, and possibly a new performing arts building that would cost about $10 million.
Oxford School District Superintendent Brian Harvey said that the money for the new school came from the bond referendum of 2010.
“All of what we needed was over budget,” Harvey said. “We had to redesign to stay within our
budget.”
City Planner Tim Akers said after the city reviewed the redesigned site plan, Oxford High School hired Yates Construction to build the new school, which will house students in grades 9-12 in the Oxford School District.
Earl Grissinger, an Oxford resident and parent of an Oxford High School student, said he is very excited about the new school and the opportunities a new location will provide.
“I think that the new location of the school will be easier access for everyone,” Grissinger said. “Right now, getting to and from the school is very congested.”
His daughter, Meg Grissinger, a junior at Oxford High School, is also excited about the new space inside and outside the school.
“I think they’ll have better parking at the new building; right now everything is really crammed,” she said. “We can barely get to class on time because there are so many of us, and we have oneway hallways to keep the traffic down.”
Ultimately, Harvey said, the school is being built to give students the space and opportunity to learn in the best possible environment.
“Oxford High School has been providing a quality education for students for many years. We simply did not have the space required,” Harvey said. “The faculty and students are both excited about the updated space.”
