Burleson High School students now have a place to play sports and participate in other activities indoors.
Burleson ISD administrators, staff and community members held a dedication ceremony for the school’s new multipurpose facility on Monday night. The district broke ground on the facility in October 2018.
In 2017, voters approved a $85 million bond election that called for both new construction and renovations to current facilities. This new facility is designed to improve educational opportunities for the school’s extracurricular activities and drew $5.7 million of the bond package.
State Sen. Beverly Powell, D-Fort Worth, who’s a former BISD trustee, said this facility reminds her of the time when the district decided to build Burleson Centennial High School.
“Our board talked so seriously about the fact that we were to become a city with two high schools but one heart,” Powell said. “In the process of making sure that we did the right thing for students, one of the last things that we did during my term as a school board trustee was to pass the bond election to make sure that we could provide for the facilities that proved to the city of Burleson that we are indeed a city with two high schools and one heart.”
As a state senator, she said Burleson ISD resides close to her heart.
“We have spent an enormous amount of time in the first year of my term as a state senator talking about the safety and security and the health and well-being of students in the state of Texas,” she said. “What I see from this beautiful facility is that we are protecting just that — the safety and security and the health of our students, as we are providing a beautiful facility like this for them to be safe during terrible weather.”
Burleson residents have a heart for students, she said.
“I said this all throughout the year that folks that live in the state of Texas, and especially for us the people who live in the city of Burleson, are focused on the welfare of our children,” she said. “Focused on making sure that our kids have the best facilities that we can provide for them. The fact that we can pass a bond initiative to make sure that we have those facilities tells me that people are willing to pay for the things that are close to their hearts. They’re willing to pay for the safety and the security and the health of their students.”
BISD Superintendent Bret Jimerson this facility is a longtime coming.
“Time seems to stand still for some of us, but I gotta tell you it was worth the wait,” Jimerson said. “We have a lot of people that worked to help make this possible.”
He thanked the BISD board of trustees, the district’s Facilities Advisory Committee, BISD administrators, Stantec Architecture and Jackson Construction.
“Last but not least, I’d like to thank our community,” he said. “Those that came and voted, those who decided to fund this facility and those that are sending their kids here to be a part of this. To the community of Burleson, thank you for what you have intrusted us with. Thank you for providing our students the finest facilities. We won’t let you down, and we’ll take good care of it.”
BISD board President Andy Pickens said the district is continuously working to offer “tailored educational opportunities to students in premiere facilities” such as this one.
“In 2016, our board tasked the Facilities Advisory Committee with creating a recommendation to address both involving facility needs for today’s learners and our growing district,” Pickens said. “As Dr. Jimerson said, this committee worked many hours and reviewed a great deal of data as they created their recommendation, which the board adopted in its entirety.
“With this student facility, weather will no longer impact learning and practice. I am proud to say it will support athletes and multiple student groups for years to come.”
BHS Principal Wayne Leek said he’s humbled and excited for the opportunity to serve as the school’s principal.
“I already know it’s one of the highlights of my career,” Leek said. “I’ve had a long career, but this is awesome. On behalf of the students and staff of BHS, we want to welcome you to our new facility. Every time we talk in, it’s amazing that just a few months ago when you looked out on this spot here that now we’re to this. So, thank you to everybody that was involved in that.”
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