FHS students place in state technology competition

A total of 11 Fredericksburg High School students placed at the Technology Student Association state convention for their photo or video projects.

The convention was held April 21-23 in Fort Worth. Earning honors were:

- Lainey Clark: Second in Sticker Decal; third in Computer Generated Graphic Art;

- Hank Rawls: First in Sound Editing;

- Sergio Robles: Second in Video Editing, Music Video Lip Sync;

- Anabel Araiza: Third in Video Editing, Music Video Sound Lip Sync;

- Addie Myers: First in Color Action/Motion Sport, second in Color Travel photo-essay;

- Ava Snoozy: Third in B/W Animal Life; first in Color Architecture; third in Color Travel photo-essay; second in Color Montage;

- Imagyn Perez: Second in B/W Close-Up (Macro);

- Maggie Shepard: Fourth in Color Close-Up (Macro);

- Chloe Lovelady: Fifth in Color Portrait Photography.

The decision to build a new Fredericksburg Middle School was not a decision that was made quickly or taken lightly. FISD and the Board of Trustees are keenly aware of the historical significance of the current middle school campus and the memories that many of our community members have at the campus.

This column will help shed some light on the decision-making process and explain how we got to the point of proposing to build a new middle school.

Community Input

A diverse group of community members (the Bond Steering Committee) committed their time to assess all options and explore every avenue before making a recommendation to the board of trustees.

The Bond Steering Committee met for months, toured the current Middle School campus, heard from teachers, students, administrators, architects, and engineers, and eventually recommended a new middle school campus to the board of trustees as the best option.

Why A New Campus?

Much of the Bond Steering Committee’s time was spent discussing possible ways to remain at the current campus.

Some of the considerations that led them to vote to build a new campus were:

The inability to obstruct the view of the historical buildings from the street.

This requirement limits any reworking of the existing campus to the land behind the historic building. The area in front cannot be touched, which removes significant space on the site.

Students would have to be put in portable buildings for a minimum of 18 months during the existing Middle School Campus renovations.

The committee did not want to put students and staff in this position. In addition to the por- table buildings, there was also a concern of constant noise, disruption, and extra safety considerations that come with teaching and learning in a construction zone.

Limitations to retrofitting the existing campus with technology infrastructure.

Due to the age and layout of the existing campus, retrofitting the existing campus with a technology infrastructure that would support the requirements of today’s curriculum standards would be costly and extensive.

New Middle School Design

If voters approve the 2022 bond, the new middle school campus is anticipated to open in the fall of 2024 and will offer our students and teachers an environment designed for modern instruction.

The building will be fully ADA accessible and will serve our whole community for years to come.

For more information on the design, the 2022 bond proposition, and other projects, visit www.fisd.org/ bondinfo.