OZARK, Missouri (KY3) – A new chapter for Ozark High School student activities began on August 22, 2024, when the Ozark community, along with state and local officials, school and district staff, OHS band students, cheerleaders and JROTC cadets, came together to cut the ribbon on the OHS storm shelter/gym and new indoor activity center.
“When we can provide safety and improved educational opportunities for our students, it’s always a win-win,” said Superintendent Dr. Lori Wilson. “It’s a win-win for our students, for our teachers, for our parents and for our community.”
These projects are the last of the 2022 bond projects, which included storm shelters at Tiger Paw Early Childhood Center, Ozark Middle School and OHS, as well as a new entrance at OMS and an indoor activity center at OHS. The $19 million no-tax-increase bond issue focused on safety while accommodating Ozark’s growing community, said Assistant Superintendent of Learning Dr. Craig Carson.
“This space gives us great opportunities to spread out our classes and is a great place for our extracurricular activities like JROTC, band, winter guard and our sports teams,” Carson said. “We’ve been out of gym space for quite some time, and instead of having to put multiple classes in the gym, we can now spread out.”
With the completion of these projects, every school building in the Ozark School District is now equipped with storm protection.
“This completes a mission we began several years ago when we did our long-term planning and decided with the community that one of the most important things we can do is provide safe places for all students during storms,” said Assistant Superintendent Dr. Curtis Chesick.
Chesick also pointed out that unlike storm shelters in other school districts, almost all of Ozark’s storm shelters serve dual purposes, being able to serve as a gymnasium, cafeteria or additional classrooms.
“Our storm shelters like this building are in use almost 100 percent of the time, if not more than 100 percent of the time,” Chesick said. “This building will be in use long after the last bell rings each day and long before students and staff enter the building each morning.”
Notably, this event also marks the opening of the first indoor practice facility at a high school in the greater Springfield area. The facility features a 20-yard field, batting cages and more. It will serve various student groups, including band, JROTC, winter guard and sports teams, and will also be available to the Ozark community. In addition, the storm shelter also serves as a gymnasium for physical education classes and a practice space for student activities, according to Ozark athletic director Yancey Little, who joked that these new facilities make him want to coach again.
“We already have great facilities, but this is just an addition to what we have,” he said. “I know these facilities and other investments in our extracurricular programs will make our students, coaches and sponsors proud to be Ozark Tigers.”
Student groups such as JROTC have already begun using the new gym space, and indoor facilities are scheduled to open to students in the coming weeks.
“We are entering a new era of promise and opportunity at Ozark High School,” said OHS Principal Dr. Phillip Witt. “These facilities are cornerstones of that future, where our students can succeed both in and out of the classroom as they become leaders in our community and shape a better future for all of us.”
This project was made possible through the partnership with our construction and design teams, including our project architect, Esterly Schneider & Associates, Inc., and Branco Enterprises, Inc., who served as construction manager. According to Amber Bryant, Vice President of the Ozark School Board, it is also the result of a partnership with our community that continues to support the Ozark School District.
“Of course, none of this would have been possible without our existing partnerships and the support of you, our community,” said Bryant. “Together, we have built something very special that will benefit generations to come.”
The storm shelters at Ozark Middle School and Tiger Paw Early Childhood Center were completed last spring. For more details on these projects, visit www.ozarktigers.org/bond.
To report a correction or typo, please send an email to [email protected]. Please include the item information in the subject line of the email.
All rights reserved.
