ST JOHNS, Fla. — As St. Johns County grows rapidly, county schools are becoming overcrowded.
Officials said the temporarily named “High School HHH” will hold about 1,300 students in its first year. The campus holds six buildings, most of which are three stories tall.
Most of those students will be transferring over from Nease High School, giving the crowded school a lot more room.
“Everything is just so crowded and it's nice we are going to be able to break up some of that crowding,” said Jenn Leonard, whose son will attend the school. “Every time we drive by, it’s really cool to see. It’s huge.”
The school will have unique opportunities that principal Jay Willets said aren’t available to many other schools in the county.
“It will be a collegiate high school,” Willets said. “Students can actually start earning their AA in 9th grade.”
Willets said the school is designed to prepare kids for post-secondary programs after graduation.
The school will consist of three academies: construction management, which will focus on design and engineering; emerging technology, which will focus on robotics and coding; and healthcare.
“Getting to open a school like this is pretty special,” Willets said.
Willets’ daughter will also be an incoming freshman after the school’s opening. He says he’s just as excited for his daughter to have these unique opportunities.
“Depending on what her interests are and what she wants to do, I think giving a pathway for her is no different than what any other parent would want,” Willets said.
With all these opportunities comes anticipation, and the school is one step closer to completion after its topping off ceremony Monday.
St Johns County Schools and construction personnel lined up to sign the beam that will be placed on top of one of the buildings to make their mark in St Johns County school history.
“The is a lot of planning that goes into a project like this,” said Nick Lee, senior project manager.
Lee said the buildings should be turned over to the school district in May and is hoped to be prepared for an August opening.
“I’m just looking forward to getting the kids on campus,” Willet said.
Many parents have been suggesting names and mascots for High School HHH, and are so eager to hear the decision. We know that the school colors will be burnt orange, gunmetal gray and black and we will find out the mascot and school name on Dec. 8.