Ground broken on $114M Dover High School

Ground has been broken on the new Dover High School.

Capital School District Superintendent Dr. Michael Thomas says the 290,000-square-foot school will be capable of holding up to 1,800 students once it is finished. The school district broke ground on the site just west of Dover.

“Every community I’ve ever been in, the high school is really the centerpiece of the community,” Thomas said. “And it will be no different here.”

The new school will be larger, and have more space for athletic fields than the current school, which was built in 1966. It will also have a distinct architectural feature: Thomas says outside light will penetrate every space in the school.

“There are some studies out there about, not just the aesthetics of outside light, but the benefit it is to children.”

Voters passed a referendum to build the school last year, and combined with state funding, the total cost will be $114 million. Planners have been working to lessen the impact of traffic on surrounding neighborhoods.

Construction on the school could be finished by 2014, just in time for the new school year.