Rogers Students Move Into New Digs

Students and staff at Rogers High School are getting a fresh start to the new year now that a 186,000 foot addition is complete, nearly tripling the size of the school.

For the students at Rogers they couldn’t be happier, even if it does take a day or two to find their classrooms. For teachers like Ron Crenshaw, the opening of the addition was “like Christmas morning.”

A music teacher at Rogers, Crenshaw’s classroom used to be in the metal shop. Now he has a classroom room for everyone and everything.

“It’s so much, so much nicer,” he said. “It just allows us the flexibility to do whatever we want, to play music.”

The cafeteria is illuminated with natural light now with a seat for every student. In the old school there just wasn’t enough room for everyone to eat together and some even sat on the floor.

Over at the school’s student store Devin Syr says he was surprised when he walked through the doors Wednesday morning.

“I felt like we were supposed to be in a movie it’s just such a nice school everything about it is nice.”

Devin hopes the new building brings a new image.

“I think a lot of people have a bad image about Rogers and so I think if we have a new attitude can help change around our image,” Devin said.

The building features dozens of new classrooms with the latest technology, an entire classroom  dedicated to digital photography, and even a green room and black box theatre.

The $65 Million addition was three years in the making and with the new building complete work to renovate the old building – which was built originally in 1932 – is well underway and school officials hope to move back in by this time next year.

“We are using the Ty Pennington saying ‘Welcome home Rogers family’ … we’re home, we’re finally here,” Rogers High School Principal Carole Meyer said.