By Gary Lloyd
Pinson Valley High School is moving forward by going back.
Second-year Principal Terrence Brown remembers the 1980s and 1990s, when the likes of Hewitt-Trussville, Pinson Valley and Clay-Chalkville were some of the top high schools around. Brown, who has served as an assistant principal at Clay-Chalkville, Homewood and Gardendale high schools, sees the recognition area schools receive. He wants Pinson Valley on that level.
“I want to get us back there and beyond,” Brown said.
Two summer renovations are acting as tools to fix the whole, as pieces to the puzzle.
One is work to replace the track at Willie Adams Stadium, a project that began last Monday.
Battle-Miller Construction won the bid for track replacement earlier this summer for a total cost of $295,800, according to Jefferson County Schools. With engineering fees, the total cost is $326,768.
Brown said the completion date for the new track is Aug. 28, assuming good weather. Should the project not be complete, the football schedule will remain the same, he said. Pinson Valley’s first home football game is Sept. 6 against Mortimer Jordan.
The six-lane track will be funded with local capital outlay and Jefferson County Commission grant funds, according to Jefferson County Schools.
Pinson Valley High School
photo courtesy of Jefferson County Schools
It will not validate competitive use against other schools. The new track will replace the original, which was constructed in 1972 when the high school opened.
“We’re excited about it being done,” Brown said. “I think it gives our kids an opportunity to practice on something legitimate. It helps us to be competitive.”
The other renovation the school is undergoing is in the cafeteria, which, like the track, has been pretty much the same since 1972. The Child Nutrition Department was able to secure $275,000 for the “much-needed renovation,” according to Brown. The work is being done by Dixie Store Fixtures & Sales. The same project is ongoing at Clay-Chalkville High School.
The floor is now a polished amber color, and the serving line and cashier stations will move out from behind a wall that has in the past negatively affected flow. Some round tables will now accompany the standard lunchroom tables, something that will create a feeling of an “executive dining room,” Brown said. A large clock will be attached to a main wall, a neon sign will be hung that reads “Arrowhead Cafe,” and photos from past yearbooks will stretch across another wall like a mural.
Only about half the cafeteria is being renovated, and Brown hopes the school itself can raise funds to eventually renovate the older side.
“We’re not in the building business,” Brown said. “Our business is teaching and learning. I think these little pieces help to complement that.”
Brown said that in the next year or so, people will see Pinson Valley do some things in preparing its students for the 21st century that the community will appreciate, as well as several projects to bring the school up to speed.
“We can get there, and I’m excited about leading that charge to help get us there,” he said.
Brown said it feels like a transformation.
“That’s exactly what it is,” he said. “Things are working well. Things are working for us.”
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.
