After over two years of being under construction, the new school will be finished by next fall. That makes this year’s senior class the last class of students who will graduate from the original Kelly Walsh High School. As the rest of the student body transfers into the new school, so will a number of staff members who also attended the old building during their high school years.

Jamie Tipps an English teacher at Kelly Walsh, who graduated in 1997, conveyed what she will miss most about the old building.

“I will miss how warm the building itself is, the new building is structured similar to a college campus and with all of the entrances it feels very open and inviting.”

Beth Williams, a coach and a teacher at Kelly Walsh, graduated in 1993 shares what qualities she appreciates about the old building as well.

“I feel like the old building is more spread out than the new building, and I will miss that quality because we all have our own classrooms here, so next year the teachers will be more squished together with sharing classrooms.”

Along with the great physical aspects that will be missed about the original building, it also is the keeper for many intangible memories that each Trojan past or present has created. One of the thousands of Trojan Alumni to come from Kelly Walsh is Nicholas Gilbert, an English teacher who was a part of the graduating class of 2002 expressed his most treasured moments from his high school years.

“Being apart of the team who won the 2002 Peach Basket was one of my most memorable experiences from high school. During my senior year the school as a whole won six state titles, none of which I was a part of.”

With so many changes approaching Kelly Walsh, there are certain things that do not change. Even throughout all of the years Kelly Walsh with the school progressing and adjusting over time, the school pride and dedication from staff and students stands as strong as it has from the start.

“The spirit of Kelly Walsh has never changed, the people who work here have always focused on providing a safe learning environment while encouraging fun along the way. There are still a few teachers here now that were here when I was in high school as well, and they still look the way they did back in 1995,” said Ben Schanck a history teacher and coach at Kelly Walsh, who graduated in 1995.

As the present students spend this last year in the building wrapping up all of the memories and moments that the original building holds, it is without a doubt each Trojan old or new will continue to carry the meaning of being a Kelly Walsh Trojan into the new school and for all the years to come.