On Friday, Aug. 29, Hays High had a ribbon cutting for the newly built high school. To celebrate, the school hosted an Open House to allow local citizens to see the top-of-the-line building that will become monumental to Hays students.

During the Open House, the halls were filled with community members wanting to explore the state-of-the-art facilities the school has, including the auditorium, athletic facilities, classrooms, culinary spaces and audio/visual and journalism labs.

“I heard lots of comments, and they were all really positive,” art teacher Heath Meder said. “A lot of people were impressed by how cool it was. I feel that the community was excited that this is now a part of Hays.”

Once people left the new building, they could find the Maroon and Gold Kickoff taking place on the football field. The kickoff recognized fall sports teams and showed off the cheer squad while the football and soccer teams scrimmaged. In addition, the event was used to advertise the volleyball tournament that was happening the next day.

“Everything went really well,” Meder said. “It seemed to be getting a great response from the community and all the people that were here, and you could tell by the sheer numbers how excited everyone was to come in and see it.”

28astecklein@usd489.com