*The AMS cafeteria features a running Razorback etched all the way across the serving line.*

In March, for the first time in almost 40 years, students of Texarkana Arkansas School District will have class in a brand-new facility. Arkansas Middle School, currently under construction on Jefferson Avenue, will replace College Hill Middle School and North Heights Junior High School, uniting all 1,000 of the district’s 6th-, 7th-, and 8th-grade students under one roof.

“[Superintendent] Dr. Becky Kesler is to be commended,” said Dr. Robin Hickerson, Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education. “Thanks to her, we have been able to do all of this with zero cost to our taxpayers,” through refinancing, restructuring, and grants, she explained.

The building is organized into three grade-level wings, plus a wing for fine arts classes. Walls, floors, and hardware are various shades of white and gray, conveying modernity, while windows in every classroom keep things light and warm. “Of course, we love our pops of red throughout,” Dr. Hickerson said, referencing the Razorback-red accent walls, bleachers, acoustic panels, bathroom tiles, and more.

Functionality has, of course, been a driving factor behind design and construction decisions. Dr. Hickerson, Principal Theresa Cowling, and other faculty members have played integral roles in ensuring the space will best serve the district’s students. The school’s two band halls, for example, were designed in part by district band directors. Band students will have access to individual practice rooms, built-in shelving units for storage, and direct access to outside for marching practice.

Down the hall, the broadcast journalism room, comprised of a classroom and dedicated recording studio, is quite an upgrade from the makeshift space the young broadcasting team has utilized in the past. “We already brought [the broadcasting students] to look at the space,” Mrs. Cowling beamed. “They are so excited. We hope it will be a point of pride for all of our students to have such nice facilities throughout.”

Student athletes, too, will be well-served on the campus, which features a full-sized basketball court, state-of-the-art weight room, and outdoor practice fields. Tennis courts will likely be built as well.

Connected to the gym by a moveable partition, the cafeteria is large, airy, and light. The kitchen is equipped with premium appliances. The serving line is a favorite feature. “It’s kind of silly to be so excited about this, but they etched the running Razorback, which we love, all the way across the serving line,” said Dr. Hickerson. “We hope the kids like it as much as we do.”

The building is situated on 30 acres of beautiful land; through the many windows, both untouched pine forest and manicured landscaping can be seen. Located just north of Interstate 30 on Jefferson Avenue, “the school is in the city but has a country feel when you’re outside,” Dr. Hickerson said.

“Each wing has quick access to an outdoor space equipped with picnic tables,” said Mrs. Cowling, “which can be used for conducting class outside or just for students to hang out. Additionally, we’ve intentionally left certain, low-lying wooded areas alone and are hoping to reach out to Arkansas Game and Fish, as well as the Master Gardening Club, to help utilize those [as learning spaces],” she explained.

“We feel the kids will really enjoy the beauty of the natural setting,” Dr. Hickerson said. “We expect to have some outdoor instruction, to do some of those science activities with the various trees and water sources on-site.”

Whether inside or out, science lessons at AMS will be conducted in the ideal environment. The school’s science labs are large and outfitted with built-in demonstration tables and multiple water sources. And, thanks to a magnet grant, they and all other classrooms will be filled with “the most fabulous” colorful, modern, high-quality furniture that is both utilitarian and visually appealing, said Mrs. Cowling. While these details might seem insignificant, as educators, Dr. Hickerson and Mrs. Cowling appreciate the importance of environmental design. Every decision has been made with intention, from the polished concrete floors (sleek and easy to clean) to the water bottle filling stations that accompany the hallway fountains.

This project, which officially began in January 2020, has been “such an exciting opportunity” for everyone involved, said Mrs. Cowling. “Most people who have been in the business as long as I have have never had such an experience. It’s been wonderful.”

Dr. Hickerson agrees. “It’s all just so exciting. Every time we tell the story it becomes more and more exciting,” she admitted.

Construction was motivated primarily by aging facilities—specifically Union Elementary and College Hill Elementary, both of which are closing after this school year. (Those students will be relocated to what are now North Heights Junior High and College Hill Middle Schools.) However, the need for new facilities provided an opportunity for the district to clarify and enact their vision for the district’s early adolescents.

“The goal is to provide a very well-rounded experience,” said Mrs. Cowling. “It’s important to me that the kids get all of it—academics, arts, physical education. It’s all about finding one’s passion.”

Dr. Hickerson agreed, adding, “We talk about our graduates and what we want for them when they leave the district. There are many doors through which they can walk, and here they start making those decisions. We want them to be able to pick a door and be equipped to be successful whatever they choose—if that’s college, the workforce, the military. This is a perfect place to prepare them for those next steps.

“We’re so proud of our graduates, both recent and distant,” she continued. “We think this [new campus] is going to strengthen what we’re able to provide for our students—and in turn our community. Part of our dream is for our graduates to feel like they can have a rich life and that their children will have a great place to go to school, right here in Texarkana, Arkansas.”

Arkansas Middle School is scheduled to open to 7th- and 8th-grade students on March 1st, 2021. Sixth graders will be welcomed onto campus in August 2021.

*Rendering of Arkansas Middle School (Courtesy of MTG Engineers & Surveyors)*

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