You've probably heard one of the old folks you've encountered in life utter one of these old, trite sayings:  "When I was a kid we were so poor we ate dirt, and we liked it!"  Or, "When I was a kid I had to walk to school, and it was uphill--both ways!"

Well, I'm not that old, and this statement is absolutely true: "When I was a kid I went to Terrell Junior High School in Texas, and the building was so old it was condemned!" True statement. The building was erected in 1910, and was so dilapidated that the city condemned it.  The school district made minimal repairs to bring it up to code during the summer, and we were right back there for the next school year--in August, with no air conditioning.

None of my three siblings had to face the same fate.  When I left there following 8th grade, they finally tore it down and built a new junior high next to the high school on the outskirts of town.  And there it stands today.

So, even though it's been a few years since my junior high school days, I still feel a little touch of envy for Benton High School students.  If all goes as planned, they'll be moving into a brand new building in the Fall of 2019.

Bossier Schools will break ground for the new school on Tuesday, August 22nd.  At a projected cost of $45.5 million, it's the largest project to date from the 2012 construction bond program.  Groundbreaking will take place at 4:30pm in the Kingston Elementary parking lot at 349 Fairburn Avenue in Benton.  Don M. Barron Contracting out of Farmerville will be managing the project.

The new school will have about 70 classrooms, two gyms, and can hold as many as 1,450 students.  With 70 acres to work with, it will have the potential to increase its footprint to accommodate 1,650 students, if necessary

And, yes, it will have air conditioning.  Lucky kids.

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