Storm-Proofing Success: Ozark School District Unveils New Middle School Storm Shelter, Classrooms & Office
Ozark Middle School was filled with laughter, joy and singing on March 8, 2024 as the Ozark community, state and local representatives, school and District staff and OMS choir students gathered to cut the official ribbon for the OMS storm shelter, classrooms, offices and new entrance.
"We are so proud of this wonderful building," Superintendent Dr. Lori Wilson said. "We want to thank the community for supporting our schools and understanding that we needed this structure to not only keep our students and staff safe, but also enhance their learning environment."
This project, a part of the $19 million no-tax-increase bond issue voters approved in April 2022, is the first of three storm shelters to be completed. It helps fulfill the District's commitment to getting each school building a storm shelter and creates seven additional classrooms to help support the growth Ozark has been seeing.
"Our school district doesn't make decisions without direct input from parents and members of the community," Board of Education President Sarah Adams Orr said. "What you're seeing today is the execution of the requests set out by parents and community members who said safety was at the top of their list."
Students will not move into the classrooms until the 2024-25 school year. However, when the classrooms are full, the entire structure will have about 150 students learning in it daily, according to OMS Principal Dr. Eric Russell. The project also created a new, more centralized front office for the middle school, which has been in use for over a month.
"I just appreciate that we're all here today to celebrate the impact this structure is going to have," Russell said. "It is not only designed to keep us safe in the event of a storm, but it's also going to serve tremendously in some learning."
The project would not have been possible without the partnership of our construction and design partners, Esterly Schneider & Associates, Inc. architecture/design, and the construction manager at risk, Branco Enterprises, Inc., according to Assistant Superintendent of Operations Dr. Curtis Chesick.
"Getting this structure built and occupied in under a year while staying under budget is a tremendous task, and we're grateful for all they did to make this happen," he said. "There are still some little things to be done, but when you think of the supply chain problems that we had two or three years ago, the fact that we're waiting on a little bit of metal and a little bit of soundboard is amazing."
Storm shelters are also being constructed at Tiger Paw and Ozark High School, along with an indoor activities building at OHS and a kitchen at Tiger Paw. Tiger Paw's shelter, which will double as a cafeteria, is set to open later this spring, while the OHS facilities are on schedule to open for the 2024-25 school year.
Find more details on these projects at www.ozarktigers.org/bond.
