The North Heights Junior High staff and students are ten days away from moving into the new Arkansas Middle School. The new school will house sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students. However, only the seventh and eighth graders will move in this semester; sixth graders will start the 2021-2022 school year on the new campus. Principal Theresa Cowling said, “There is definitely a buzz of excitement in the air as our team of teachers and students prepare to transition to Arkansas Middle School.” Students and staff will move into the new school on March 8. “I have enjoyed being part of this historic moment; it is not every day that you have an opportunity to move into a new facility like our new middle school.”
The $26 million building project began in 2017 with the restructuring of bonds. In addition to money from the bonds, the district received $6 million from the Arkansas Academic Facilities Partnership Program. “This is an exciting time for our district and the community,” commented Superintendent Dr. Kesler. Arkansas Middle School is 125,000 square feet and sits on 31 acres. The new campus will house 1,000 students and is equipped with state-of-the-art science and computer labs, two band halls, 2 gymnasiums, and much more. “Trice Elementary was built in 1983, and it was the newest school in the Texarkana Arkansas School District,” Kesler stated. “We are pleased that the district was able to build the new middle school without an increase to taxpayers.” A ribbon cutting ceremony will be announced at a later date. However, we invite you to countdown with us by following the Texarkana Arkansas School District on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.