Photos of the event can be found here.
News Release
Morse High School Students Join San Diego Unified Leaders in Signing, Hoisting of Final Steel Beam for Transformational Performing Arts Center
May 23, 2023
SAN DIEGO - Morse High School seniors are leaving their “sharpie” legacy behind.
Around 30 seniors joined Principal Dr. Cynthia Larkin and Board of Education Trustee Dr. Sharon Whitehurst-Payne Tuesday in a topping-out ceremony for their upcoming performing arts facility.
As part of the construction tradition, the ceremony celebrates the completion of the facility’s framework, with students and guests signing the beam before construction crews hoist it into place.
“It’s wonderful to drive down Skyline Drive and see this striking new performing arts facility coming to fruition,” said Dr. Whitehurst-Payne. “We are thrilled to enhance our Visual and Performing Arts program at Morse and throughout the district.”
When completed in the summer of 2024, the two-story building will include a theater with a stage, LED lighting, a theatrical orchestra enclosure, a fly loft, and more.
“It’s transformational,” said Dr. Larkin. “Our staff and students have worked hard to teach and learn music in our aging auditorium, so this will give them an exciting platform that will further their artistic skills.”
A new student services building will also be constructed with a secure campus entry, lobby, administrative offices, and student support spaces. Additional campus safety and security improvements include a reconfigured parking lot with a student drop-off and pick-up area from Tuther Way, additional security cameras, perimeter fencing, upgraded campus communications, and fire alarm systems.
The student quad area will be expanded and a new parking lot along 69th Street will be added as part of the project.
This latest project complements recent enhancements at Morse, including newly modernized classrooms, a remodeled music building, and present-day signage and graphics.
BACKGROUND:
Funding for the Morse High School Whole Site Modernization Phase III project is made available through Propositions S & Z, and Measure YY, which are local school bond measures approved by San Diego voters to improve San Diego Unified schools.
ABOUT MORSE HIGH SCHOOL:
Located in the Skyline and Paradise Hills neighborhoods of San Diego, Morse High School offers engaging academic and extracurricular programs, with courses in engineering, software and systems development, culinary arts, JROTC, and more. Morse also partners with three local colleges that offer courses and credits to students.
RELATED LINKS:
Time-lapse and 3-D flythrough videos, renderings, and project fact sheets can be found here.
Two High Schools Celebrate Major Construction Milestones
About San Diego Unified’s Visual and Performing Arts Program
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jamie Ries, Information Services Specialist, San Diego Unified, 619-855-9283, jries@sandi.net.
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