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County's Newest High School Opens In Jackson
By Keith Hagarty
 | | Students and staff are geared up for their first day of school this week at the new, spacious Jackson Liberty High School after ribbon-cutting festivities got underway last week to kick off the opening of the town's second high school. |
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JACKSON - After first learning that she would have to attend the new Jackson Liberty High School this year and leave many of her friends behind at Jackson Memorial High School, Marisa Winat wasn't exactly doing cartwheels. But after getting a chance to tour the new high school, she now sees many possibilities that lie ahead.
"It's really nice, they did a good job. It's really big," she said of the new high school on Hope Chapel Road.
Those sentiments were echoed by most of the 1,000-plus residents who came to last week's ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house of the new high school, which featured guided tours of the facility, performances by bands from both of the township's high schools and commemorating speeches by several township and school officials.
The school stands at two stories and 288,500 square feet on a 150-acre parcel of land, and features 85 classrooms, a 1,800seat gymnasium and about a dozen athletic fields.
"This is an exciting night for all of us," said Class President Alexandra Murdoca, who along with several other student ambassadors clad in their Liberty Lion red t-shirts provided guided tours of the school to the public.
As members of the high school's junior varsity football team, sophomores Chris Lewis and Jimmy Kiraly are still trying to figure how to find where they're supposed to be going in their new school, but are impressed by what they've seen.
"It's just really big," Lewis said. "We didn't really see too many parts of it yet though, just here (in the gymnasium) and the weight room. It's really nice."
After first taking the job of superintendent for the Jackson school district four years ago, Thomas Gialanella knew that getting a new high school approved and built was the most pressing need facing the district, and is overjoyed to finally see the finished product which has a student capacity of 1,900, although only 1,700 students are anticipated the first year.
"This is an outstanding facility, one that this community should be proud of," said Gialanella. "But the most important thing is not this structure, but rather the most important thing is our students and staff who use it."
Township board of education President Linda Lackay and board member Gus Acevedo saluted the hundreds of students in attendance sporting their bright red school colors, as well as applauding the former students of Jackson Memorial High School's first ever class of 1966, several of whom were in attendance as guests of honor at the ceremony.
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