The Dragons’ New Home

How Collierville High School built a community from the ground up.

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If you cruise east on the Collierville-Arlington Parkway, you can’t help but notice a newly constructed, expansive complex south of the highway. This $95 million facility is home to the new Collierville High School. While the doors on the building just opened for the Dragons in August 2018, the innovative school has been years in the making.

When Collierville Schools formed into a municipal school district in 2014, district leaders had a vision for growth and different scholarship opportunities than those that were being offered. The existing high school was nearing capacity, and district leaders envisioned a building that offered more than just fresh brick and mortar; they wanted to ensure the Dragon culture would continue. 

Before ground could be broken, the Town of Collierville needed to get the support of its citizens. The town and district announced the “One Town. One School. Everyone a Dragon.” campaign. Chip Blanchard, principal of Collierville High School explains, “The vision was to create an atmosphere that would be welcoming to everyone — not just from an aesthetics perspective, but from a school programming mindset. It was important to continue the Dragon traditions but also create new experiences that would benefit our students.”

Finding land large enough to build a world-class high school would prove to be one of the most challenging aspects of building the new school. In addition to traditional classrooms, they wanted to include unconventional spaces such as a ‘STEMnasium,’ an auto shop, lounge spaces for students to study, and green spaces where students could catch some fresh air during lunch or in between classes. Once the location was chosen, chief of operations Mike Simpson and superintendent John Aitken began meeting with architects. Faculty, parents, and even students gave input on the future home of the Dragons.

Paving a new path to excellence

Every inch of the new high school was designed with the future in mind. For some students, postsecondary life may not mean going to college. Collierville High parent Marissa Dail Lima is excited about the new vocational classes being offered. “College is not for everyone,” she says. “The new campus makes it possible for kids to get certified in a number of different trades that will make them more employable right out of high school, or give them a head start on training in a vocational field.” 

In addition to early postsecondary opportunities (EPSOs) where students can obtain postsecondary credits in high school, students can earn industry certifications in office technology, automotive technology, graphic design, building construction, hospitality, and even practical nursing.  

In order to provide the best education according to industry standards, the Collierville Chamber of Commerce created a nonprofit called Partners in Education. Through Partners in Education, local businesses such as MCR Safety, Landers, and Carrier teamed up with the Town of Collierville and Collierville Schools to make EPSOs a reality. 

Students at Collierville High are now exposed to multiple career paths so they can determine early on how they want to transition to life beyond graduation. When Lima toured the new high school, she especially fell in love with the culinary teaching spaces. “They rival professional cooking schools and offer an amazing, hands-on learning opportunity for kids interested in that field,” she says. 

Principal Chip Blanchard agrees. He believes these vocational opportunities will have a lasting impact on the town of Collierville, and Shelby County. “Our hope is that our students leave here and strengthen the local workforce and help our partners grow in their businesses.” 

It’s not just faculty and parents who are excited about the school on East Shelby Drive. Hannah Hudspeth, a senior who will be among the first class to graduate from the new campus, has found plenty to love about her new school. She really enjoys the spacious auditorium — which comfortably seats 1,000 — but her favorite place is the library media center. 

“I love the library,” Hudspeth says. “It is just a beautiful room with so many new books. The lighting is great because there are so many windows.” The library offers much more than a quiet place to read. Students have access to the library throughout the school day to collaborate and research, and they can even reserve private study rooms. 

Room to grow

All new endeavors come with growing pains. Moving to the new high school meant that faculty and staff had to weed through existing classroom materials and discard old equipment and items. This year, every student was issued a brand-new MacBook Air for coursework, eliminating the need to carry heavy textbooks and providing unlimited access to course materials. Marissa Dail Lima mentions, “The network has had difficulty handling so many users at once. There are glitches, but all of that is getting worked out with time and an amazingly dedicated staff.”

It took some time for students and faculty to figure out the logistics of navigating the campus. Hannah’s sister Heather, a freshman, got lost a few times the first week of classes, but this has not slowed her down. “I am surprised how easy it is to get from one class to another on time,” she says. “The building can be intimidating at first, but you get used to it quickly.” 

Blanchard concedes, “At first it was challenging to get from point A to point B, but once we started mapping out the shortcuts, it was easy.” Digital maps are posted throughout the school to assist students and visitors with navigating the building. The faculty and staff are excited to finally have a space large enough to offer new programs and accommodate a growing student body. 

It has taken four years for a vision to become reality. Even with a few growing pains, the same Dragon culture that students, faculty, and parents have come to love remains. Lima says, “Students don’t need to fear the size of the school. The faculty and staff are working really hard to create an intimate atmosphere where the kids feel known and acknowledged.” 

Principal Blanchard hopes students and families always feel welcome at CHS. “When students first walk in our doors, or when they leave us after graduation, we want every Dragon to call CHS their home.”

Jennifer Boren is the lead library media specialist for Collierville Schools and blogs at bookjabber.wordpress.com.