At the most recent school board meeting plans were discussed for a renovation to the auditorium, and the project is set to come before the board for approval at a later date. Expected to cost roughly one million dollars, the project is expected to be completed sometime this summer.

According to assistant principal Steven Loser, the focus of the renovation will be improvements to the audio and visual elements of the auditorium. Sound will be improved to provide a more authentic experience for students in theater production and tech theater courses.

Improved lighting will also be added to give better projection quality and capability. The goal is to improve the viewing experience for audiences, and also give students the most professional experience as possible to prepare them for college or professional theater productions.

“I’m really excited for the new renovation because I think it will be a lot closer to professional productions that I really like,” sophomore performer Marcella Clevenger said. “I think if the production is better it will motivate us to bring more passion to our performances as well.”

Since the school has been open, the auditorium has never undergone a renovation as expensive as this one, but, according to Loser, the price tag will be worth it if students and the performing arts department benefits. Students are also hopeful that the upgrades will bring greater exposure to the performing arts.

“Hopefully the renovation will make students more interested in performing arts, both by joining them and going to watch,” freshman orchestra member Tanisha Davidson said. “It would be really cool to see more people start coming to our concerts after these changes are made.”

For students who hope to pursue performing arts beyond high school, this may provide an opportunity to perform under similar high quality productions and gain valuable experience for when they do move on to college or professional productions.

“My dream is to be a dancer on Broadway, but it’s hard to get a sense of what kind of skills that takes,” Clevenger said. “But I think being able to act in higher quality productions will give me an understanding of that, and maybe get me one step closer.”