SPENCER, Iowa | Walking in to Spencer High School these days, one may need to gain their bearings.
For a moment, you might think you're somewhere at Northwestern College, or Buena Vista University, or Dordt College.
As an $11-million fine arts addition opened in February, some might note that Spencer High School almost has the feel of a small college. At least that's the feeling one can get from the new concourse, a 287-foot long airy space that connects the old high school, constructed in 1965, and its 1952 Spencer Fieldhouse, with the new 750-seat theater, the band room, the choir room and the new administrative offices.
The construction project, which began in April 2015, is funded as the district bonds against future state sales tax revenues. The effort, according to Superintendent Terry Hemann, will not impact property taxes.
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"It really gives students a place to be at where there's a campus feel," Hemann said. "I think it really can change the climate here."
In the past, students often spent their free time in the lunchroom or in areas near their lockers. These days, a table of seniors can work on their laptops in the new concourse, half of those laptops plugged in to benches. A cell phone charging station a few feet away keeps busy as well.
"This area is really good for group projects," said Maren Taylor, a senior. "This morning, a group got together here and studied for an anatomy test."
"It's up-to-date and it's quiet," added Emma Garnatz, another senior.
The east end of the addition welcomes students and visitors to the high school through a front door area easily visible to the office staff, an important factor in an educational climate today that seeks security like never before.
The concourse also connects the high school to the technical trades wing at Spencer High School, a building that, until now, was on its own. Students using that wing passed through an alley and a parking lot multiple times per day in the past.
Having all classes now under one roof allows all entrances to be secured each morning. That wasn't always the case in the past, not for a high school building that boasts of 36 entrance points, according to Ellie Wiemers, high school principal.
Beyond the new offices and concourse, the band and choir rooms have been updated, separated by a recording studio. Across the way is the signature element of this effort, the Spencer High School Theatre, which welcomed its first activity on Feb. 4, as Spencer High hosted the Iowa State Large Group Speech Contest, one of four such sites in the state.
The new theater has an orchestra pit that can be covered and walked upon; there are men's and women's dressing rooms with video monitors and an intercom to allow communication with the director or stage manager. There's a black-box theater with a light and sound booth and a state-of-the-art sound and lights setup in the main auditorium.
"The wing space is huge," said Larry Untiet, the 42-year speech and drama coaching veteran at Spencer High. "Each wing space is as big as our old stage."
The new theater replaces the 1937 structure located seven blocks west of the school.
"We couldn't have done all this without our supportive community," said Weimers, who started here as a math teacher 27 years ago.
Untiet concurred, noting how the Spencer Hy-Noon Kiwanis gave $10,000 for a new drape at the front of the main stage.
Untiet can't say enough about the addition. In his long tenure, he said, projects similar in scope were brought up three or four times. And each time, he worked on plans for a new theater only to see the idea scuttled.
"This time, the administration asked for a wish list from me and the band and choir directors (Kurt Schwarck and Katie Kardell)," Untiet said. "And for the most part, we got just about everything we were seeking."
The senior class also got what it wanted: A chance to use it. The new area opened for students just in time for the seniors' final semester, which began on Jan. 17.
"It's great," Maron Taylor concluded. "It makes you feel comfortable. It makes you feel like you're at home."
