NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — For the first time in more than 60 years, students aren't returning to Hillwood High School. Instead, they’re starting fresh at the new James Lawson High School in Bellevue on Tuesday.
The project is years in the making and took a lot of support from city leaders including Mayor Cooper. That’s because it was a $124 million project. The school is on Highway 70 South just west of the Bellevue Mall exit.
The new 307,000-square-foot building is home to 150 teachers and staff and more than 1,200 students.
It’s named after Reverend James Lawson, a key leader in Nashville's Civil Rights movement as an organizer of the lunch counter sit-ins and a teacher of non-violent protests. One of his students was the late Congressman John Lewis.
Inside there are a lot of neat features including a beautiful view of the lush greenery everywhere you look. a real ambulance inside to help students practice as first responders and a modern design with rooftop solar panels.
The school has the ability to hold a total of 1,600 students and Principal Stephen Sheaffer expects that number to fill up in no time.
"I talked to one the other day. They’re moving from North Carolina and they said they moved to this area because of the school and the ice rink," said Sheaffer. "Their daughter’s an ice skater. They said I want to be at your school and we love the Bellevue community and community center across the way."
District leaders said Lawson is equipped with shatterproof glass, AI technology that’s able to detect weapons inside and one main entrance that will funnel the majority of foot traffic. They’re also going to have two SROs on hand that were with these students previously at Hillwood High.
'We’re kind of a half mile off the road. So we’re not at a busy intersection, we can get people off the road safely. And they feel like they’re almost at a college campus out here," said Sheaffer. "If you don’t have to drive by the front of our school at 7 a.m. or 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, you probably want to find another way."
For those that live nearby, keep an eye out for school zones and buses starting up again Tuesday morning. It can be easy to forget about those safety zones during the summer.
As for Hillwood High, Metro Schools plans on using that campus as a 'swing space' for things like professional training and sports.
