School History
History
In the beginning, before West Point Junior High was, Glenn Flint owned the land. He sold 25 acres to Davis School District on July 5, 2001 for $1,080,090. Soon after, the LDS Church purchased 1/2 acre of that land for a seminary, leaving a net of 24.5 acres for the school. While there was not an official groundbreaking ceremony, work started in February 2002, shortly after a bond passed with an unprecedented approval rating of 89.7%. The construction has been done by Hogan Construction Company. West Point Junior High, as you see it now, has 148,085 square feet.
Although the actual building started in February 2002, much work was done prior to that time. In 2000, Gary Payne and Bryan Turner developed the plan for this new junior high. While still working in the Curriculum Department, Supt. Bryan Bowles was an early advocate and facilitator of this phase. He researched many buildings across the country and determined several to be visited and studied. Once that was done, an invitation went out to many students, parents, teachers, and administrators to meet and discuss aspects of design to be considered. These ideas were then forwarded to architects Valentiner, Crane, Brunjes, and Onyon (VCBO), who took another year to produce construction documents.
After the plans were completed, they garnered some major awards. In 2002, the Council of Educational Facilities Planners International presented the Design Concept Award for a school not yet constructed. In 2003, the National School Boards Association presented the Design Citation Award. This school is truly an awesome sight to see both on paper and in person!
Construction Facts
Some miscellaneous tidbits regarding the construction of the school are as follows:
153,024 sq ft of floor space
1,045,000 sq ft site
57,950 tons of earth moved
3,578 cubic yards of concrete placed
1,317 cubic yards of site concrete placed
4,750 linear feet of utility site pipe
245 tons of reinforcing steel (rebar) or 490,000 pounds
125,875 concrete masonry units
973 cubic yards of concrete grout
840,000 lbs of structural steel
156,000 lbs of steel joists
164,200 sq ft of metal deck
160 metal stairs
820 lineal feet of railing
82,668 sq ft of single ply roofing
96,508 sq ft of roof insulation
13,840 sq ft metal roofing
28,792 sq ft metal wall panels
2,931 sq ft metal soffit panels
38,813 sq ft wall insulation
67,054 sq ft sound insulation
91,000 sq ft acoustical ceiling
10,500 sq ft acoustical sound panels
63, 648 sq ft multi-core panels for cabinets and millwork
15,072 sq ft plastic laminate for cabinets and millwork
82,656 linear feet PVC edging on cabinets and millwork
3,226 pieces for cabinet hinges
558 drawer guide pieces
512 cabinet locks
4,800 sq ft sport track flooring
11,214 sq ft of wood flooring
57,000 lbs of steel for lockers (initially had 1,629 lockers with 75 more ordered as of 8/22/03)
$85.96 per square foot to build ($5.00 per sq ft less than Fairfield Jr. High built in 1994)
School Name
Following a survey given to each student coming to West Point Junior High, a committee was selected to determine the name of the school. Out of 1,027 surveys sent to students, 963 of them were returned with an overwhelming consensus for the name to be West Point Junior High. In addition, public input was solicited through the media. Approximately 12 other names were submitted. With the School Board policy of not naming schools after individuals, West Point became the choice of the committee comprising of parents, teachers, administrators, and students.
School Colors
In January 2003, all students coming to West Point (Syracuse Jr., North Davis Jr., West Point Elementary, West Clinton Elementary, Lakeside Elementary, and Holt Elementary) were asked to give suggestions for school colors. Over 311 color combinations were submitted. Based upon the school's exterior and interior design, it was determined that cardinal red, black, and silver would be rich and complement the building.
Mascot
Along with student input for the school name and the school colors, it was important to get student feedback on the mascot. Probably every animal was named, including pythons, cougars, phoenix, etc.; however, the name "Warrior" was selected. About 75% of the students named some kind of warrior. The committee decided to select "Celtic Warrior." The warrior is symbolic of freedom, pride, excellence, and strength.
