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New Evans High School Opens to Students


January 4, 2012 | WMFE - Students at west Orlando's Evans High School returned from winter break Tuesday to attend classes on their new campus for the first time. Teachers, students, administrators and education officials hope the $60 million project brings new life to a school that's been dealing with outdated facilities and academic struggles.

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[Image of new Evans High courtesy of WMFE News partners Central Florida News 13]

Evans has received "D" and "F" grades from the state for the last 10 years...until Wednesday, that is, when the newly-released state grades show Evans has earned its first "C" in a decade.

The original Maynard Evans High School stood on the corner of Pine Hills and Silver Star Roads for 50 years, built long before some surrounding blocks gained a reputation for being high-crime areas. In 2008, when Orange County School Board members declared Evans dilapidated and obsolete, they proposed a building a new campus a few miles west, on the site of the 9th grade center. The center sits on the western edge of the school district, bordering the neighboring city of Ocoee.

But after months of wrangling with the Ocoee community over zoning, districting and other issues, Orange County commissioners scrapped the plan.

Instead, Evans High was demolished and the new campus built on its original site. 

Gone are the electrical problems, peeling paint, mildew stains and outdated equipment of the old Evans, though. The students now have lockers for the first time, along with windows and easy computer access in each classroom. Expanded facilities for arts and sports are also among the upgrades.  

A parade introducing the new Maynard Evans High School to the community is planned for January 21st.

 

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