The dream of an all-new Thompson High School campus comes true at 12 p.m. Saturday, February 24, as Alabaster City Schools holds a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the public. Tours of the new high school's academic areas will be conducted at the conclusion of the ceremony. (Athletic facilities are still under construction.)
In May of 2014 the school board authorized the purchase of 300+acres for the new Thompson High School complex. Planned for a 2000-2200 student capacity the new school is conveniently located within a mile of the existing high school which was built in 1986 for a maximum of 800 students but now serves nearly 1900. The new complex located between Thompson Road and Kent Dairy Road feels set apart in a field of dreams.
The ribbon cutting marks the end of some two years of construction, and signals the start of classes on February 26 for students moving in from the existing Thompson High School facilities.
The new Thompson High School is located at 1921 Warrior Parkway in Alabaster. It has 103 instructional classrooms, with 26 of those being labs. The building also accommodates extracurricular activities like band, jazz, strings, choral and drama.
A 32,269-square-foot career academy will have spaces for fine arts, broadcast journalism, business, health science and engineering along with a 50-seat lecture hall. A beautiful 1,009-seat auditorium will open later this spring and will be equipped with a full theatrical stage. A media/innovation center for independent or group study will be located near the lunchroom to allow students the flexibility to eat, study and collaborate during the day. Common areas with soft seating and charging stations will be located throughout the school.
Wayne Vickers, Superintendent of Alabaster City Schools has made it his mission to help each student find a connection here, some area of study that they can "fall in love with." The aim is for the student to finish school with a purpose and a plan for the future.
The athletic facilities, opening late spring, are also state of the art and enable all programs to practice and play on the school campus. Along with five multipurpose practice fields and six tennis courts, there will be a 5,293-person capacity football/soccer stadium, and baseball and softball stadiums. Baseball and softball will have their own field houses, and there will be a 27,000-square-foot field house for football, track, tennis and soccer.
The new athletic area will also include a 30,000-square-foot indoor multipurpose practice and weight training facility. Through an agreement with the Shelby County Commission, the track and field complex will see upgrades to include a 444-seat bleacher, upgraded lighting, a restroom-concession stand building, and official time recording at sanctioned track and field events.
"We can't wait for the Alabaster community to experience the all-new Thompson High School," said Superintendent of Alabaster City Schools Dr. Wayne Vickers. "This new campus puts Alabaster at the highest level of public education in our state and even our region. In all aspects of academics and athletics, the children of Alabaster will have the facilities and resources they need to excel in the world of tomorrow. Our motto is 'Champions of Our Future,' and Thompson High School will be the home of champions for generations to come."
Touring the new facility might just make you wish that you could go back and do high school all over again. In a beautiful place like this it would be an amazing experience.