Last month, Panola faculty and staff were able to get a tour of the new building taking shape on their campus in preparation for the 2021-22 school year. Staff explored the new building, poked around their soon-to-be classrooms, and were wowed by the new gymnasium.
 
“We all started together in the gymnasium to take in what a special place this was going to be for our students,” Pafford principal Ryan Keser-Richards said. “We all know that having a full-size gymnasium and more space for programming, both for art and our innovative learning lab, will provide new opportunities for our students.”
 
Staff members grabbed a sharpie and left a note on the exposed beams for students. It was a something staff did with the last building (Building 1) that christened the new building for all of students.
 
“We were excited to have the opportunity to do it again with our newest building,” Keser-Richards said. “It was a special moment looking up at the rafters and watching the teachers marvel at the new space.”
 
The notes will eventually be hidden by drywall, but staff members will remember where they signed and remember how they left their mark.
 
“It makes the building more than just a building – it makes it a home – because it will soon enough be a part of the heartbeat of our campus,” Keser-Richards said.