After nearly two years of construction, the new Thompson High School is truly a sight to behold. This 32, 269 square-foot facility is not only massive in size but filled with state-of-the-art technology, resources and academic additions that rival those of some college campuses.
Published: March 22, 2018
By: Courtesy of Alabaster City Schools
Author Website: Click to Visit
The dream of an all-new Thompson High School campus came true at 12 p.m. Saturday, February 24, as Alabaster City Schools held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the public. Tours of the new high school’s academic areas were conducted at the conclusion of the ceremony. (Some athletic facilities are still under construction.)
The ribbon cutting marked the end of some two years of construction and signaled the start of classes on February 26 for students who were moving in from the existing Thompson High School facilities. The new Thompson High School, located at 1921 Warrior Parkway in Alabaster, has room for more than 2,000 students and 103 instructional classrooms, with 26 of those being labs. The building also accommodates extracurricular activities like band, jazz, strings, choral and drama.
A 32,269-square-foot career academy will have spaces for fine arts, broadcast journalism, business, health science and engineering along with a 50-seat lecture hall. A beautiful 1,009-seat auditorium will open later this spring and will be equipped with a full theatrical stage. A media/innovation center for independent or group study will be located near the lunchroom to allow students the flexibility to eat, study and collaborate during the day. Common areas with soft seating and charging stations will be located throughout the school.
The athletic facilities, opening late spring, are also state of the art and will enable all programs to practice and play on the school campus. Along with five multipurpose practice fields and six tennis courts, there will be a 5,293-person capacity football/soccer stadium, as well as baseball and softball stadiums. Baseball and softball will have their own field houses, and there will be a 27,000-square-foot field house for football, track, tennis and soccer. The new athletic area will also include a 30,000-square-foot indoor multipurpose practice and weight training facility. Through an agreement with the Shelby County Commission, the track and field complex will see upgrades to include a 444-seat bleacher, upgraded lighting, a restroom-concession stand building and official time recording at sanctioned track and field events.
“We can’t wait for the Alabaster community to experience the all-new Thompson High School,” said Superintendent of Alabaster City Schools Dr. Wayne Vickers. “This new campus puts Alabaster at the highest level of public education in our state and even our region. In all aspects of academics and athletics, the children of Alabaster will have the facilities and resources they need to excel in the world of tomorrow. Our motto is ‘Champions of Our Future,’ and Thompson High School will be the home of champions for generations to come.”