The auditorium will close to begin renovations May 24, which are projected to last until early February 2026.
“We’re going to start [the renovations] as soon as possible so we can end [them] as soon as possible,” assistant principal Casey Edwards said. “It’s not a perfect end time, but the goal is to end some time [in] early spring.”
The district tries to update its spaces every 20 years. To fund such renovations, residents who live within LISD boundaries vote on whether or not to pass a bond to cover the cost to improve a space. The auditorium has not been updated since the school opened in 1999.
“It’s a little [outdated] technology-wise,” Edwards said. “There’s some things that have worn down over time. [Equipment] has not worked the way it’s designed to work, so we’ll be able to address those issues.”
Due to the construction, all performances, rehearsals and competitions will be held in alternate accommodations, such as the black box or the cafeteria stage.
“The biggest impact for us as a band is the other things that will be closed down because of the construction: access to the foyer, access to some of the fine arts hallways and some storage room,” band director Andy Sealy said.
The all-school musical, which normally takes place in the auditorium in January of every school year, will instead be held in the black box next year. Given that it is smaller than the auditorium, fewer actors and technicians will be able to participate. The set will be more immersive than the auditorium sets can be; head director Chelsey Thornburg said the set will be similar to “Clue,” which was performed in the fall of last year.
“What we are looking at next is year is around 20 [actors,]” Thornburg said. “Knowing myself, I always undershoot and accept more kids, because it’s my least favorite part of my job — cutting people.”
The musical will also have no live pit, no fly rail, fewer seats — therefore fewer tickets — and the options for the musical are limited. The current plan is to have two weekends for the show, each weekend with a different cast of actors, to increase the number of tickets that can be sold and people who can participate in the performance.
“It’s going to be fine, no matter what,” sophomore Gabby Tinsley said. “We aren’t cutting the musical, we’re changing [it.] But as long as we get to do a musical, I’m happy.”
Along with the auditorium, the lobby, cafeteria annex, some academic wings, softball and baseball fields, the band lot, football field house and stadium buildings are scheduled to be updated. Previously passed bonds will cover all of the auditorium renovation costs as well as the other projects.
“We have a really great team that uses bond funding strategically,” Edwards said. “So we’re in great hands.”
With the timeline, next year’s Silver Wings spring show shouldn’t be affected; however, if construction gets delayed into April, they will not be able to rehearse in that space. The demolition is scheduled to be finished before school begins in August in order to reduce noise. After that, the renovations will consist mainly of updates.
“There is always going to be challenges that come with change, but I’m really excited for our school, for our kids [and] for our programs to have an updated space,” Edwards said. “In the long run, it’s going to be well worth the wait.”
