GOLD HILL, Ore. – Central Point School District 6 is celebrating the newly renovated Hanby Middle School. After two years of construction, the 112-year-old building is equipped with new classrooms, lockers, safety systems and more.
The $11 million project was made possible thanks to a 2019 district bond, federal and state grants and pandemic relief funding.
“It also combined some state and federal funding to really take it to the next level by adding some classrooms and making the third floor usable again,” said Walt Davenport, Superintendent of Central Point School District 6. “We really invested in the community and the history of the community through the renovation of Hanby Middle School."
Generations of students have walked through the halls of Hanby Middle School and preserving the building’s old charm was important to the school district. Davenport says the district worked with the Southern Oregon Historical Society to ensure the school’s history was protected.
Students and staff were welcomed into the new building at the start of the year and Davenport says everyone is excited to see and use all the new updates.
"They are thrilled to be in this new space,” he said. “I think that they appreciate that we maintained some of the historic pieces in that building. It's light and bright, it's got flexible learning spaces. It's just a wonderful place to be and the feedback right now has been very, very positive."
Davenport says the renovation is a great example of how much the school district has grown since the start of the pandemic.
To celebrate the new renovation, Hanby Middle School hosted an open house.
"I think it's a chance to celebrate the perseverance of the community,” he said. “I'm really excited and I think that it will honor the legacy that the community has and then show the potential for growth."
