Students reflect on journey to Palmer High groundbreaking
(COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo) — On Monday, May 12, school leaders turned the dirt underneath the bell at Palmer High School in Colorado Springs, signaling the end of an era and the beginning of a new one for the city's oldest high school.
Current student body President Connor Strange won't be able to see it as a student before graduating this year, but will come back at some point as an alumni when the work is done.
'It is bittersweet that change is happening however, I don't think that change is necessarily a bad thing,' Strange said.
For months, there has been a lot of conversation about the changes coming to Palmer High School, including from the alumni base of Palmer High.
'There are as many thoughts and opinions about the renovation as there are alumni,' said Judy Owsley, the President of the Alumni Association for Palmer High School.
Monday's groundbreaking ceremony started the first phase of the renovation, which will focus on remodeling the main building and adding an academic wing.
Some did push back against making major changes at the high school, but for some, their minds changed when they were able to work directly with the school district and project leaders. Theo Square, the current senior class President, was one of them, and said the meetings allowed his skepticism about the remodel to fade.
'Having monthly meetings with them, naturally being able to talk directly to them, is really a nice thing to do,' Square said.
Strange tells FOX21 News he was directly involved in the planning conversations for Palmer's planned face lift too. In those meetings, Strange said some student concerns were alleviated.
While the start of reconstruction signals the end of the school year, Palmer High's class of 2025 will have to go on their way without experiencing the new building as a student, but many believe Palmer High will be better for the next generation because of the changes.
'Just be glad they'll have air conditioning,' Square said.
Phase one of the Palmer High construction is set to be completed sometime in the summer of 2028.
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