Bend’s oldest high school has received a new look. As a recipient of the 2022 Bend La-Pine school improvement bond, Bend Senior High School has put its $178 million bond allocation into a complete renovation of the campus. With Phase 1 of the project coming to an end, the Source was given a first look at the newly completed facilities that will welcome students in the fall.
“Our address has officially changed,” says Principal Chris Reese, making a motion towards the newly finished Ninth St. entrance. Complete with a backlit bear claw and a physical “Long Blue Line,” — a reference to Bend High graduates — the new space pays homage to both the culture and the rich history of the school.
Inside, a secure entryway leads to the B hall commons, where natural light floods onto the school’s three food service options and the communal dining space. To accommodate the school’s 1,300 students and provide an outdoor space on spring days, the rolling garage doors of the commons will open onto two secure courtyard: the already finished learning plaza and phase II’s active plaza. Additionally, a third plaza exists in conjunction with the learning plaza.
In the shadow of the Robert D. Maxwell building, named for the Bend High alumni and Medal of Honor Recipient, sits the Heroes Plaza. A bust of Maxwell sits next to a blank wall, where the names of the 60 alumni who died while serving in the United States military will be carved.
Inside from the Heroes Plaza, a set of stairs lined by banners celebrating Bend High’s history leads to the second floor of B Hall. While the average size of schools in the Bend La-Pine Schools district is 50 acres, Bend High’s plot of land is only 33 acres. Reese highlights this size constraint as the reason for the school’s vertical expansion, with three floors of B Hall and two floors of the planned A and C structures.
The new school’s B Hall will serve as the classroom center for math, language arts and social studies, with the third floor of the building devoted solely to the sciences. State-of-the-art fume hoods and 85-inch monitors come standard in the spacious chemistry classrooms, replacing outdated and cramped quarters in the old building. While the school’s state championship medals and tokens of athletic success now sit in moving boxes, trophy cases adorn the corridors, ready to accept the school’s accolades as move-in is completed over the summer.
With a projected completion date of Fall 2028, there’s still work to be done. Over the next two months, the majority of the old campus’s remaining buildings will be demolished in preparation for the construction of the A Hall athletic facilities and the C Hall performing arts center. Construction on a second parking lot has begun, adding an additional 120 staff and student parking spots by 2027.
“We’re ahead of schedule and under budget,” says Reese with a grin. While the second half of the statement is thanks to redistribution of funds, like the shrinking of Reese’s own office, the school’s makeover is on track, and the first students have already had a glimpse into the new building.
“Right before graduation, I walked with seniors through here, and one of the seniors, it warmed my heart, said it feels like home,” says Reese. “One of the things that has been a burden is how do you take so much history, and tradition since 1904 and incorporate it into a new design to make it feel like Bend High? I think we’ve done that, and the seniors reaffirmed it.”
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