BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS
With the official opening of a new building at Stanhope Elmore High School for the Band and Choral Department, the Theatre Group is getting more room as well.
The cafeteria will also have a new look and feel, with those “tiny” chairs being replaced, as just one of the perks. “The whole hallway, the cafeteria and the old band room are all going to be renovated,” SEHS Principal Ewell Fuller said.
A new theatre area will also take over the “old” gymnasium, Fuller said. “A lot of areas are going to be repurposed for the arts, in general.”
Fuller and Supt. of Elmore County Schools Richard Dennis have had a lot of discussions for improvements at SEHS, and the prospect has Fuller excited.
“Mr. Dennis is really good at not micro-managing, and getting input from people in the trenches. That is the best model. Just like he did with the band room, he cut Band Director Wesley Morris loose to a certain degree, and he was able to give a lot of input,” Fuller said.
The arts are growing at at SEHS, and it has the school board’s total support.
“The way the arts have already started to grow, and the way the Theatre Director Brady Walker is growing the program, is phenomenal. The kids and the community are buying into it because of that. The ultimate goal Mr. Dennis wants me to focus on is merging the actual art class, the band, choir and theatre together. Somewhere around 300 students are involved. Brady Walker is also working with the Millbrook Middle School and tracking them to grow it even more. It is going to be a team event.”
A special event coming up will be with the multi-needs students at SEHS and a theatrical performance led by Walker.
“It will be a huge event, and we will have more on that later as we work out details,” Fuller said. “Walker is just absolutely incredible with what he has done with the Theatre Department here. It is just really exciting.”
So what about those the cafeteria improvements?
Fuller said the area was in much need of expansion and updating to fit the needs of the 1,100 students at the school.
“Even if it is bad weather, there will be a covered awning. The serving lines will be modern. We will have charging stations. In the ceiling it will be a Buffalo Wildwings set up. We will have televisions, drop down screens and there will be a Mustang when you walk in the door. It will be projected on the floor. A professional artist is coming in to do a new painting.”
A special area for hot and cold coffee is being added as well.
“It is a game changer,” Fuller said. “The way the expansion is, we will renovate the cafeteria, but will add more space. Our Child Nutrition Director Casey Davis has had a lot of input and has been instrumental. It is hard to understand unless you have seen the students in the old cafeteria, and what is coming.”
With major construction projects, COVID, and a growing student population, Fuller said he is so impressed with the students, and the staff. “They just roll with it,” he said. “They do what needs to be done. The morale has increased so much, even during the hard times with COVID. Disciplinary actions are down. I feel like the luckiest guy on the planet to be here at Stanhope Elmore High School. We have amazing people and tremendous community support.”
Construction on the renovation and expansion projects have already begun, but will not be complete at the start of school in the coming week. The final product’s completion is expected in this school year, and will depend on weather. “But it is coming, and it is going to be fantastic,” Fuller said.
