Magnolia Living 2021 - 53

Photography by: Scott Nipper

Taking the STAGE
Magnolia School District grows student opportunities
with new performing arts building
FOR TEACHERS and staff in the Magnolia School District, the more opportunities a
student has to showcase their talents, the more
successful they will be both before and after
graduation. To help students and the community further exhibit that local talent, the district
will unveil its newest addition this summer -
the performing arts building.
Created as a part of a strategic plan, John
Ward, superintendent of the Magnolia School
District, says the facility was made possible by
community support through a millage increase.
While the facility has been under construction for almost two years, he says it should be
completed by the first of June, and he is hoping
to be able to make the facility available to the
public in early July.
" The performing arts are such an important
part of our community, " he says. " Our auditorium is very much outdated but has served the
district well. It was time to take the next step
and take the performing arts department to the
next level.
" The facility will allow us to bring in travel-

ing theatres, musicians and other performing
artists into the community. It will be a space
that will have many aspects that can be used by
the community, not just for performing arts. If
there are meetings to be held, it will be a comfortable space for those events, " he says. " If you
look at the realm of possibilities for the facility,
the sky is the limit. "
With seating for just under 1,000 people, it
also allows for the possibility of bringing in citizens and revenue from around the region.
With a district of approximately 28,000
residents, student population is just over 2,700
with an additional 120 pre-kindergarten
children. A dedicated staff of more than 230
certified teachers and administrators strive to
ensure students meet and exceed their high expectations. This is done through comprehensive
rigorous academic programming with necessary
interventions, support systems and state-of-theart technology. The Magnolia School District
is one of the largest employers in Columbia
County, with graduation rates for the district of
over 75 percent. 
MAGNOLIA LIVING

2021

Magnolia Living 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Magnolia Living 2021