The new and improved Central Kitsap High School is right on track to opening their doors next fall for the start of the school year.

The brand new facility focuses on what today’s students need to succeed and will be adjacent to the newly-opened Central Kitsap Middle School on NW Anderson Hill Road. Construction crews are putting the finishing touches on the facility and property before its grand opening in September.

The original Central Kitsap High School was built in 1942 and was long overdue for a replacement to accommodate modern learning needs. The new CKMS and CKHS total 313,000 square feet and each new building is three stories tall. Each school will operate independently but will share a kitchen and career and technical labs.

“In so many ways, the community has supported these projects across our districts, whether it was part of the facilities committee, the planning component, the citizens committee and many citizens who helped to get the measure passed” CKSD Superintendent David McVicker said. “The reality is everybody’s pitching in because it’s all about the kids and our community.”

Amenities of the high school include a large auditorium for school and community use, new tennis courts, new synthetic turf football and baseball fields with enhanced seating, new lights and a scoreboard. The new design also prioritized expanded parking and secure entryways to free up foot and car traffic around campus.

Design and construction was handled by Integrus Architecture and Skanksa USA Building respectively. Their implementations will help bring students a modernized school experience with state-of the-art lab, career and technical areas to help them build skills for their future endeavors. The new high school facility will also have new and updated heating and plumbing, both of which needed to be upgraded, according to ckschools.org.

The ball started rolling on this project in February 2016, when a construction bond measure was passed by Central Kitsap School District voters to officially move forward with plans to build new facilities for CKMS and CKHS. The bond was for an estimated $220 million. Skanksa USA signed a contract with the Central Kitsap School District for $77.9 million to construct their part of the project.

After months of designing and planning, construction officially started in September, 2017. Work then began, primarily on the building foundations and masonry for the gym. By May 2018, roofing was underway and windows installation began at the high school. CKHS, along with CKMS, made a concerted effort to install more windows throughout the building for enhanced natural lighting. By the Summer of 2018, road improvements were made on Anderson Hill Road to improve access to the new CKMS and CKHS.

As the end of the school year approaches, CKHS will be holding a celebration on the last day of school, June 20, to look back and reflect on the years of service and history of the old Central Kitsap High School building.

—Tyler Shuey is a reporter for Kitsap News Group. He can be reached at tshuey@soundpublishing.com

A look at the new auditorium, meant for school and community events. Tyler Shuey / Kitsap News Group

A look inside one of the new science classrooms at CKHS. Tyler Shuey / Kitsap News Group

Ongoing construction occurs where the CKHS commons will be located. Tyler Shuey / Kitsap News Group

A look at the exterior of the new CKHS. Tyler Shuey / Kitsap News Group