JARRETT GOODMAN
Staff Writer
Jasper Middle School’s brand new building recently opened its doors, now officially in session after the end of Fall Break.
A project many years in the making, the new building is larger than its predecessor, at 98,000 square feet, and
updated with an auditorium, gymnasium and two science labs. Principal Heath Thacker shared more details reflecting on their original location. “Brand new state-of-the-art building. Much bigger than the one we were in. There was some things in the old building that we couldn’t do just because the building was old and kind of showing its age.” explained Thacker.
Located on 601 Elm Avenue, the original building was first built in 1909, “It was the Pryor Institute and it was the
very first school built in Marion County,” Thacker detailed. Serving at one point as the county’s only high school it eventually became the home for the town’s middle school. “They expanded that building. And then the middle school moved over when they moved 9 through 12 grades into the high school where its current building is now.”
Thacker further delved into the new features of the school explaining, “One of the main features here compared to our old building is we have a gymnasium now. There’s bleachers on both sides, LED scores table, dropped down screens so that two teams can practice at the same time, deep side lines on each one and there’s room now for cheerleaders and fans to walk through and not be on the court at the same time.”
The other addition, the auditorium, houses 720 seats for students and families to move around in, as well as built-in Bluetooth speakers and sound panels. One finishing touch to the new auditorium is the inclusion of a loading dock, which Thacker advised serves as a major improvement over the old building.
Further updates round out the new construction with fewer but larger classrooms, a new break room for the teachers and staff, two science labs and a larger cafeteria. All of which support students and staff as everyone adjusts for the remainder of the school year inside the school’s new home.
