After years of planning, debating, heading back to the drawing board, and finally formulating a plan, the Buffalo Island community will be relieved to know that a new school is finally in sight.

As the saying goes, the third time really was a charm for BIC.  After making three mileage proposals, one was finally accepted by the district’s surrounding communities. In the first and second attempts, the school board asked for nine million dollars. The plan the first time was to build two buildings on both the East and West campuses, but people didn’t agree with the plan so the proposal failed, 2:1.

The board decided to make another proposal in which there would be one building between Leachville and Monette; there would also be an auditorium added to the building. However, people were still not in agreement, and the vote was lost once again. The final and victorious proposal consisted of building the new school in Monette for grades 7th-12th and another building in Leachville for grades K-6th. This won by a 2:1 vote.

Though exciting, there have been multiple challenges that students and teachers have came across since the beginning of the building process. Since half of the student parking lot is gone, some students have had to park in the baseball field’s parking lot.

“It’s just a long walk and right now it’s not a big deal but I think about winter and it’s going to be cold. I also feel like I’m late to second hour, like a lot,” said junior, Carlee Bird.

The students aren’t the only ones who feel this way. Members of administration have also not been thrilled about the sudden obstacles that the detours have introduced.

“Parking so far is the main challenge. The distance traveled between P.E. and Mrs. Jill’s EAST class is an ongoing problem, and it will be a problem for a year,” said high school principal, Mr. Randy Rose.

The school is expected to be completed by October 2018. Teachers and students are excited about the new facilities, new resources, and a fresh start. One problem that will be met once the new school is built is getting adjusted.

“I think at first it’s going to be very chaotic, but our students adapt really well. Things will get started out and return to normal,” said science teacher, Mrs. Kristen Thomas.

With the arrival of the new school building, BIC is expecting tremendous growth, and many hope  to see faces of old and new becoming a part of the school family.

“I would like to see some of those who have transferred to other schools return, regardless of if it’s harder there or harder here,” said Mr. Rose.

Because of these changes, the class of 2018 will be the last to walk the halls of the building we currently know as Buffalo Island Central High School. An end of an era is upon us, but the people of BIC hope great things will be on the horizon.