It took two years and $21 million. Now students at Tallassee High School are walking the halls of a new building. The new Tallassee High School looks a lot like the old one torn down to build it. But the new structure will enable students to learn using new technology in a safe environment.
“The goal is to be able to put an old alum like me out front and they would know exactly where they were,” Tallassee City Board of Education president Don Bryant said at the time. “But the same person inside would not know where they are.”
While the new building and old building may be similar and both are learning centers, Bryant said school buildings are just buildings.
“A school building is not the school; it’s the people who learn and teach inside it,” Bryant said.
The new building was ready for this school year after students were crammed into portables that covered the band practice field. The new facility includes a state of the art auditorium capable of holding the entire student body and staff for the first time in years.
Gov. Kay Ivey attended the ribbon cutting ceremony before the first classes in August.
“We need all of our students well educated to meet the challenges of the future,” Ivey said at the ribbon cutting. “We want them all to be able to get good paying jobs to be able to support their families and enjoy this great state.”
Tallassee City Schools superintendent Dr. Brock Nolin said he is sure the new building will meet the education needs of children of Tallassee and hopes its history will be much like its predecessor.
“I’m excited that new generations will get to enjoy this structure,” Nolin said. “The previous one lasted 100 years. I’m really excited to see what comes in the next 100 years.”
