Hundreds attended a grand opening ceremony for the new South Oak Cliff High School on Saturday.
The newly renovated Dallas Independent School District campus opened its doors to students and staff for the first time earlier this week when they came back to school from winter break.
The official celebration march and ribbon cutting ceremony followed on Saturday.
Crews spent two years gutting and renovating the entire building at a cost of $52 million.
Every part of the campus was updated or transformed.
"You’ll see it in the classrooms. You’ll see it in the cafeteria. You’ll see it in the gyms. You’ll see it in every part of this building," Superintendent Michael Hinojosa had said during a tour in December.
The school's new features include new classrooms, competition gyms, weight rooms, two courtyard additions, an amphitheater, learning stairs, a contemporary chandelier at the main entrance, a dance hall and a new cafeteria, among other attractive amenities.
But the road to get to this makeover has been paved with problems.
Many residents remember Dallas ISD increased its budget for the South Oak Cliff High School renovations after students began walking out in protest over conditions.
There were also videos shared on social media of rodents inside the school, termites, flooding, mold and drinking fountains covered with bags after water contamination concerns were revealed.
Now, though, the new school and its facilities are open for business, and administrators are looking to the next schools to receive a transformation.
"We’ve got to deliver on Roosevelt. We’ve got to deliver on Pinkston. We’ve got to deliver on Kimball and everywhere else," Hinojosa said.
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