Ozark School District’s Tiger Paw Early Childhood Center received the 2022 Design Team of the Year award from the Springfield Contractors Association during the 38th annual Salute to Design and Construction Awards banquet on Nov. 10. 

One hundred years ago, more than 200 Ozark School District students and staff stood in front of the newly-constructed school building just east of the downtown square and posed for a photo. On Oct. 26, 2022, an entire century later, Ozark’s littlest learners, along with staff, administrators and Board of Education members, did the exact same thing, commemorating and celebrating the renovation of the historic structure that now serves as Tiger Paw Early Childhood Center. 

A dream years in the making finally became a reality, Oct. 14, 2022, as hundreds of state and local community members gathered outside what was once known as the Fasco building to officially cut the ribbon for the Ozark Innovation Center and usher in a new era of learning for the District. 

Here's a sneak peek at some of the behind-the-scenes construction work at the Ozark Innovation Center over the last two years. Ozark voters approved the $26.5 million no-tax-increase bond issue on the June 2, 2020, ballot as part of Operation Renovate & Innovate. The bond issue allowed us to create an extension of the main Ozark High School campus while preserving and renovating commercial property that is rich in history — the old Fasco building.

On Sept. 15, 2022, 100 years after the building was constructed, Ozark School District, along with members of the Ozark community and Chamber of Commerce, cut the official ribbon to Tiger Paw Early Childhood Center, celebrating the renovation of the historic structure and expansion of the early childhood program. 

Here's a sneak peek at some of the behind-the-scenes construction work at Tiger Paw Early Childhood Center over the last two years. Ozark voters approved the $26.5 million no-tax-increase bond issue on the June 2, 2020, ballot as part of Operation Renovate & Innovate. The bond issue allows the expansion to our early childhood program while preserving and renovating this historic 100-year-old building.