Derrek Vaughn | The Valdosta Daily TimesValdosta School Superintendent Dr. Todd Cason and Principal Dr. Janice Richardson cut the ribbon Saturday during the dedication ceremony of the new Valdosta High School.

VALDOSTA, Ga. — A little more than a year following the groundbreaking, the new three-story, state-of-the-art Valdosta High School opened Saturday for the public to tour. 

The community was welcomed to tour the facility, which consists of 77 general classrooms, 35 speciality classrooms, 14 science labs and a gymnasium with three full courts. 

“Valdosta High is not just a building,” Raquel Goddard, a VHS senior, said. “It is the people who walk its halls.” 

Goddard spoke of the history of VHS and arriving at the point of the new VHS opening. 

“Two miles down the road and almost 50 years ago, students and teachers just like us gathered in a similar fashion to celebrate the pursuit of a new era of Wildcat education,” Goddard said. “Today, with daring ambition, the Wildcat Nation proudly welcomes back that same spirit of courage and resolve.”

Goddard said high school represents years of self-discovery, and she said the school’s identity is expressed by the diversity of is students. 

“Our all-encompassing Wildcats legacy extends beyond our famed football team,” she said. “Valdosta High fosters the dreams of the tenacious athletes, the wildly imaginative actors, the bewitching writers, the hopelessly romantic artists, the rational scientists and mathematicians, the tremendously committed band members and the pleasantly argumentative debaters who give this school its identity.” 

She said that identity is now paired with an equally remarkable campus. 

“After decades of developing our reputation and honing our legacy, we now possess a campus as spirited and bold as its student body, past, present and future,” Goddard said. 

Walter Altman, principal architect of record for the VHS project, spoke of the significance of the student presence within the new school.

“This school won’t come alive until the students get here, the teachers get here and the administrators get here” Altman said. “That’s when the blood will really run through this thing, and all of that tradition and legacy is going to change the world for the better, just like it’s been doing since it started.” 

Preparing students for infinite possibilities is the vision of Valdosta City Schools, Superintendent Dr. Todd Cason said. He said the new VHS will help provide the tools and resources to make the vision a reality. 

“It is possible for every student that walks through the doors of this new high school to achieve greatness if they so choose to,” Cason said. “Everything here is at your hand. Everything you need for a brighter future is at your hand.” 

Valdosta Board of Education Chair Liz Shumphard said board members are responsible for the decisions made in building the new VHS, and she said the students were on the forefront of the board’s thoughts. 

“We as board members want what is best for our students,” Shumphard said. “We want them to feel comfortable in their learning environment.” 

Kaci Nobles, facilities director for Valdosta City Schools, said the new VHS started as 110 acres of wooded land. 

“We have gained a facility that we are extremely proud of,” Nobles said. 

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, visitors participated in the school dedication. 

“In dedicating this school, we – the parents, teachers, administrators, students and friends of Valdosta High School – join together to pledge to give our young people the best educational opportunities,” the Service of Dedication read. “May this new school, now and in the future, stand for excellence in the education of our most precious resources – our children.” 

Per proclamation presented by Mayor John Gayle, April 14 was named Valdosta High School Day. 

The school is scheduled to open for classes at the start of the 2018-19 academic year.

Kimberly Cannon is a Reporter with The Valdosta Daily Times. Her extension is 1376.