The completion of renovations at Mineola High School was celebrated with a chamber of commerce ribbon cutting, albeit an orange ribbon, at the high school on Patten Street last Tuesday evening.

With Meredith Foundation, school, city, chamber of commerce officials, and community members present, Superintendent Kim Tunnell and MHS Principal David Sauer attacked the orange and silver ribbon and it fluttered to the floor.

It was the first ribbon cutting in recent memory at the Mineola school campus and Tunnell was asked why it was held.

“We have spent some money this summer in remodeling,” Tunnell said at the event, “and wanted to showcase for the community the new changes in not only the new schedule but the look of the campus to let people see this with the existing facilities that are over 50 years old. While we can’t make major changes, there are things that we can do to modify facilities to meet the needs of our kids.”

“We wanted to showcase and highlight the new looks and changes,” the superintendent said.

The changes include the removal of lockers in the hallways that haven’t been used in five or six years. Tunnell said the district will be auctioning those off and selling “so people can purchase and take home a piece of the history. We didn’t throw those away.”

In removing the lockers it made room to create some collaborative spaces for working with benches, stools and write-on boards as the idea was, “trying to create a café type scenario.”

The project also included the removal of a couple of walls, opening up some areas for the students.

Color, or as Tunnell put it, “a little splash of color” has been added to the walls to brighten things up. And it does. Bright green, vivid purple and orange definitely wipe away any thoughts of blasé.

MHS Principal David Sauer was excited about the event. “It is unusual,” to have the ribbon cutting. “It just signifies where we’re headed and it’s a new direction. Our focus is on teaching the kids of today and not the kids of yesterday. So I think it signifies a new opportunity, a new era for kids and I just couldn’t be more excited about it, and happy.”

The principal said he was amazed at the number who attended the celebration. He said the school has events to which parent turnout is not great. “I think just the way it was rolled out,” Sauer said, “people are curious. They just wanted to come out and see it. I’m glad to have them here.”

Sauer said he is hoping after the school gets through their first six weeks under the new Flex Mod scheduling method to have visitors at the school.

“I want it to be so good that people want to come up here and see it.”