Vian’s new high school will host its first day of classes on Thursday in the $9 million facility that is the culmination of a project approved two years ago by Vian voters and taxpayers.
The new high school houses 18 classrooms, a modern media center, an expansive common area, and high school offices, which is expected to be a proud focal point of the school and the community for generations to come.
Students, staff and parents had the opportunity to see the building at back-to-school events this past week. A ceremonial dedication and open house for the general public will be announced at a later date, according to a press release issued by Vian Public Schools.
Vian School District officials expressed their appreciation for the community’s overwhelming support for the project, and emphasize that the project is being completed on time and on budget.
Superintendent John Brockman oversaw the project’s completion on the district’s behalf.
A ‘phenomenal’ facility The new Vian High School (VHS) occupies over 30,000 square feet and stretches almost 100 yards along Hwy. 82 on the eastern edge of schools’ 28-acre campus. Its 18 classrooms include a customized chemistry lab, biology lab, art room, FACS (“Home Ec”) room, computer lab, and special education classrooms. The standard classrooms are nearly 1,000 square feet and each includes dual windows, smart-board screens, bright LED lighting, custom cabinetry, a storage closet, and 25 student desks.
The common area and lobby occupy nearly 3,000 square feet, while the media center is about 2,400 feet. Each has high ceilings and expansive windows. High school offices and reception sit next to the front door, and have security locks that will require visitors to register before entering. Large interior windows allow visibility between the common and reception area, and media center.
High school principal Carrie Jo Willis called the new facility “phenomenal” and said it had exceeded all expectations. New to Vian in 2023, Willis had previously been involved in a nearby district’s new high school opening, but says there was “no comparison” to Vian’s premier build- ing. She said the VHS faculty and staff were especially excited and were working hard, preparing to welcome students to their new school home.
Overwhelming community support The project required voter approval in a Feb. 8, 2022 bond election. Unlike many area towns that had failed to approve bond and construction projects for their school districts in recent years, the Vian community gave overwhelming support.
The lead-up to the 2022 vote saw an outpouring of backing from Vian alumni, parents, faculty, and community residents, including hundreds of “Vote Yes” signs, messages and social media posts.
The “Yes” vote passed with an overwhelming 83% of the vote, in a bond election with a recordsetting turnout of more than 1,000 voters.
Supplementing the bond proceeds were community contributions and donations worth about $1.3 million.
Sinclair Armstrong and Ann Farmer donated, in memory of their mother, Lola, three large lots of land on which the north half of the building now sits. The town of Vian closed two blocks of streets and donated the land to the school, then provided extensive utility work as an in-kind contribution.
Cash donations of $250,000 each came from three sources: the Vian Community Charitable Foundation, John and Michelle Traw, and Jeff Cotner. Many of the of upgrades to the building’s appearance, facade, and large common area were made possible by the private donations directed for those purposes.
According to the press release, federal funding programs paid for certain equipment and construction elements, while the school also used profits from a 2021 transaction on nearby land.
Bond financing
A major theme of the 2022 “Vote Yes” election campaign was the desire to keep the millage tax rates at or below what the rates had been in prior years. A slogan was “New High School – Same Tax Rate.”
In late 2021, the Vian School Board employed an experienced school finance advisor, Stephen L. Smith Corp., and gave the directive to structure and limit the proposed bond sale so that the resulting millage rate would not rise above the millage rates (99.9 and 99.6) in effect in the preceding years.
Indeed, rates since the election have not exceeded 97 mills, even as three new series of bonds have already been issued on the VHS project. District residents’ most recent property tax bills showed a total levy of 96.75 mills.
The district’s timing for the bond issuance proved to be especially good. The interest rate on the project’s primary financing vehicle was locked in at a rate below 2% during early 2022 – just before most market interest rates rose significantly. Net of interest, the bonds provided about $7.7 million for construction.
Wolverine history and spirit
The building’s exterior design was inspired in part by old photographs of the three-story VHS building built in 1909, and by an architectural style known as “Cherokee Gothic” (see related story on page 1) that was common to colleges and seminaries in Oklahoma and Indian Territories a century ago.
The building’s design has numerous elements of the Cherokee Gothic style; most visible are its red brick façade with contrasting brick and cast stone trim and columns, and the entry porch with cast-stone arches. The interior integrates Vian’s purple and gold school colors, including purple lockers, furniture, tiles, and accents throughout the building.
More to come
A few additional construction sub-projects are still underway. A lighted brick pedestal sign on the front lawn will read “Vian High School” and be backed by three lighted flagpoles for the United States, Oklahoma, and Vian Schools’ flags. A student parking lot is just being completed on the east side of the building.
The school board also recently approved separate funding to replace the chain link fencing along Hwy. 82 (down the east end of the stadium) and on the building’s south side. The new fence will have brick columns similar to those in the new building, with iron panels in between. The campus’ frontage along Hwy. 82 – and the impression made on visitors to Vian – will have seen a dramatic upgrade.
The old high school building will eventually be torn down, most likely in the summer of 2025, though portions of it will be salvaged, including the newer English building. Much of the furniture has already been repurposed to other campus buildings.
The school will preserve the traditional photo panels of each graduating VHS class, which previously lined the hallways of the old high school building. They will be displayed in a specially-built display rack in the new building.
A traditional plaque at the building entrance will list Vian School Board members who initiated and coordinated the project: Ken Pack, James Thornton, Jeff Cotner, Joe Paul Simon, John Ford and Ed Barton, along with current Superintendent John Brockman.
Architects for the project were CWA Associates, based in Norman, and Beshears Construction of Fort Smith, Ark. served as construction managers.
Thornton and Simon have served on the school board from the project’s start to its finish.
“We took this project very seriously. It’s a huge step for our kids, district and our town, and we are very proud of it,” Thornton said.
“I look forward to sending my grandchildren to the school in decades to come,” Simon said.
The district will plan a ceremony this fall to formally dedicate the building and add a formal dedication plaque. It will be dedicated in memory of Lola Armstrong, a former Vian school teacher on whose donated homesite the building now sits. The dedication will also honor and thank the voters and taxpayers of the Vian School District, whose support made the whole project possible.
Thankful for
the support
As Superintendent Brockman prepared for the building’s opening, he emphasized the school system’s appreciation to the many people – including voters, school personnel, and construction personnel – who made the project possible for Vian students. Brockman said the facility would be something the community could be proud of for years to come, adding a personal thank you to the people of Vian for making this a reality.
Principal Willis echoed Brockman’s gratitude. “We cannot thank the community enough for making this investment for our students,” she said.
