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CCA HIGH SCHOOL'S NEW ADITION
Have you seen the construction that’s been going on next to Clear Creek Amana High School? With all the cranes and lifts seen occupying the left side of our building, it’s a pretty hard sight to miss. The whole area’s been fenced off, after all.
But, what exactly is going on over there?
For those unaware, the school will be receiving a new addition, covering almost 25,500 square feet. The purpose of this addition to our building is to house hands-on classes for culinary arts, agriculture, and industrial technology students, featuring a mezzanine to store mechanical equipment. The musical arts department will also be receiving a designated practice room. On top of that, a dedicated storm shelter will be added to the addition as well.
To get a read on how this addition is currently perceived, teachers who will be holding classes in the new addition shared their thoughts.
Christopher Copeland, CCA’s band director, opened up about his thoughts on the Musical Arts expansion, he stated, “One of the biggest benefits will simply be having a dedicated space that fits the needs of our program. We’ll be able to use our own rehearsal space instead of relying on the auditorium for a majority of our marching band rehearsals. It will also give us the flexibility to split the band into multiple rehearsal spaces when needed and provide much more room for our instruments and equipment.”
He expressed excitement regarding what the addition meant for the band program’s legacy, saying, “What I’m most excited about is seeing a facility that reflects the growth and excellence of our band program. Past and present students, teachers, families, and members of our community have all contributed to building the program into what it is today. I think it’s going to be pretty special to see our students walk into a space that reflects that.”
He additionally admitted his anxieties regarding the construction process, stating, “There are certainly things I’m nervous about. Construction has a lot of moving parts and some very specific needs. At the same time, I trust the process and the collaboration we’ve had with the architects and our district staff. I’m confident the new facility will be outfitted in a way that best serves our students and gives the program room to continue growing.”
Wendy Paiva, one of CCA’s culinary arts teachers, has a lot of enthusiasm for the Culinary Arts expansion! Here’s what she had to say: “I am very excited about the new addition, as it relates to the Culinary Program at CCA! This addition is going to move our program from 5 residential style kitchens to a professional, industry-aligned space that prepares students with a wide spectrum of culinary experiences.”
To go further into detail, she included her thoughts about what the addition meant for the school’s culinary program; “Our current residential-style kitchens have served CCA High School well for many years, but the CCA community understands the importance of preparing students for both life and the real-world career pathways available to everyone who walks through our high school doors. Having these state-of-the-art facilities will allow us to bridge the gap between learning how to cook and learning how the culinary industry actually operates.” And, to finish it off, she expressed what this addition meant for her; “What I'm most excited about is the incredible range of opportunities our students will now have—not only to develop their culinary skills, but to envision a future in the culinary arts and hospitality industry as a viable and exciting career pathway beyond high school!”
Regarding the Agriculture expansion, Alyssa Amelon, CCA’s agriculture teacher, expressed her appreciation for the expansion; “The addition was part of the 2022 bond, and I'm excited that the school district and community sees value in the Fine Arts, Career, and Technical Education Departments.”However, she also expressed concern for what might be described as isolation with the new addition, saying, “With that said, change can be challenging. I'm apprehensive about the re-location of Agriculture classes and the distance that it will be from the rest of the academic classes.”
Industrial Technology teacher, Philip Moss, expressed his enthusiasm for the new addition; “I'm really excited about the new high school addition for the Ag, FCS, and Industrial Tech departments. The demand for skilled trades is really high and can provide great careers for people who enter them. I think these careers are personally rewarding—you get to build things—and they also offer high-paying, competitive opportunities for our students after they graduate.”
Additionally, Moss boasted his belief that the addition will really give our school a leg up compared to other schools, saying, “I think the new space gives our district an advantage over other schools that haven't invested in these programs or have scaled them back over the past decade or so.” And that will also help prepare students for the future; “It can also help the district better partner with Kirkwood programs to speed up training and better prepare our students for their future careers.”
Overall, educator reception towards the new addition is very positive! Construction for the building began around the end of last school year, picking up after students were dismissed, and is hopefully going to be finished around July 2027. If everything stays on schedule, students may be able to enjoy these commodities by next school year, enriching the depth of the education received by an admirable amount. Think about it!
Students operating in band will have more room to practice, Industrial Technology students will no longer have to awkwardly commute to the middle school for their classes, Culinary Arts students will have better opportunities to work in a more sophisticated kitchen, and Agriculture students will have a considerably better workspace. For anyone curious, the middle school will also be receiving a similar, smaller addition for band rehearsals, with nearly identical features to our addition, that being the mezzanine and storm shelter. Their addition comes out to around 5,500 square feet.
