by Quint Qualls, Home Page Media
Hundreds of parents and students got their first look at Nolensville’s new elementary, middle and high schools on Sunday, joining with county staff and officials to mark the occasion with back-to-back ribbon cuttings.
The ceremony in the auditorium of Nolensville High School represented the single largest group of community members ever assembled for a ribbon cutting in Williamson County Schools history, according to Dr. Mike Looney, superintendent of schools for WCS. It culminated the day’s events, following ceremonies for both Mill Creek Elementary and Middle on Sunday afternoon.
“We’ve already had two beautiful ones today and this is the culminating event,” Looney said at the high school ceremony. “And for the adults in the room, there is something that we all have in common. We all share the high school experience. It’s that experience where you learn to come out of your shell, you learned that you could survive a speech class, you could endure a football coach’s tough regimen of workouts, you made lifelong friends, you experimented, you learned new things, you pursued interests you perhaps didn’t know you had and you made final preparations for adulthood. We all share that in common.
“And what strikes me today is that this is a historical moment. I want us to take in how grand a moment this really is. Let’s just reflect on it for a second. Think about your high school experience for those that are adults – what that meant to you and what it’s going to mean for generations of Nolensville community area students. They’re going to walk the halls, get their first high school textbook, learn how to manipulate their lockers to be at class on time. Think about that, what they’re about to experience.”
The project to build the new schools complex on 100 acres of land on York Road totaled $73 million. Nolensville High School is a 263,000-square-foot facility designed by Johnson and Bailey Architects, modeled after Summit High School in Spring Hill.
As of now, about 450 students will enroll at Nolensville High School in the fall.
“For those of you that are students that are going to be the first class of Nolensville High School … oh my goodness, generations and generations and generations of students are going to come after you and still talk about that first class,” Looney said during Sunday’s ceremony. “So make your mark. Leave an indelible mark on Nolensville High School and this community in a very positive way.
“These facilities cost millions and millions of dollars that come from your moms and dads, pooling money together in the form of taxes to give you this facility. So no graffiti. No gum under the seats. Take care of it like it’s your own room – well no, not your room. Like it’s your own first car. Because this is your own first school building. Care for it. Love it.”
Quint Qualls covers Spring Hill for Home Page Media Group. Reach him at [email protected].
