On the last day of the 2018-2019 school year, students were eager to finally get out of school after nine months of hard work. Although June 14 was the last day, it was the first day for the construction of the new George Mason High School.

Now? You can see the foundation walls going up on as a livestream which appears on T.V.s throughout the school. If you walk by the construction with the gates open, you can see cranes and piles of raw material.

The new school is scheduled to finish at the start of the second semester of 2021. The total cost is projected to be around 120 million dollars. 

After the groundbreaking, they immediately kicked off with digging. Once the digging was completed towards the end of August, most of the worries going into the construction were put to rest. 

The Lasso spoke with people from both the construction and architectural teams to get updates on the construction so far, including Deisy Brangman, a senior project manager for Brailsford and Dunlavey, and Jack Mutty, a project manager from Hanscomb consulting.

Both admitted that the project has so far gone smoothly, though weather could still prove to be an issue.

“Luckily there has been no weather that’s impacted the construction,” Mutty said. “Always fingers crossed it stays that way.” 

2019 is on pace to be the hottest year ever and September was particularly dry for our region. 

Even though the construction site is closed to the public at the moment, it will soon be open for tours once the infrastructure is in place. Students can learn about the structural and sustainable features of the building through the student-led tours once the construction is complete.

Construction plans include a turf field for sports practices, a blackbox theatre, and a cafe along with the cafeteria.

Even with all of the changes coming, there are a few signature things that are bound to stay with the school. Courtyards and alcoves, now called “breakout spaces,” are being modernized with comfortable furniture and more space in general for the students to gather and collaborate.  

The next steps consist of finishing with cement pouring and installing steel beams for the frame of the new school. 

“The overall effort with working with the city, students, parents, [and] staff has been very positive,” Brangman said. “We coin this to be the heart of the community.” 

“I’m going to miss this place,” Freshmen Leslie Garcia said. “But, I’m excited for the new school and to be in a new environment.”