Hanceville High School unveils new Family Consumer Science building

Patrick Camp, The Cullman Times, Ala.
·3 min read

May 9—HANCEVILLE — Officials may have broken ground on the new career tech-focused building at Hanceville High School more than a year ago, but in many ways the project has been much longer in the making.

Cullman County Schools Superintendent Shane Barnette told The Times in February 2023 that the more than 80 year-old building, which previously housed the Family and Consumer Science and the Agriculture Science departments, had been beyond the point of repair, making renovations unfeasible. Instead, it was decided to start from scratch, demolish the previous structure and construct an entirely new, modernized facility in its place.

Hanceville High Family and Consumer Science teacher Amy Chambers said she was grateful to be rid of the dated and deteriorating cabinets of the former kitchen space, but showed little surprise during the facilities unveiling Wednesday afternoon. This was mostly due to Chambers working alongside the building's designers to design the final floor plan, down to the number and placement of the space's electrical outlets.

"I have been teaching here for 17 years, so I knew what would work for my class, but I came from a background in interior design, so I was able to actually draw the floor plan for what I wanted," Chambers said.

With the broad scope of Chambers' course, storage had always been an issue. The class not only covers cooking, but topics such as entrepreneurship, marketing and fashion design. She said her students use her classroom to design and make Hanceville themed t-shirts which they sell during fundraising events. The materials used to pull off these tasks all needed a home and Chambers said they will now have one.

"I knew everything had a place and I wanted to be able to keep everything neat and tidy," she said.

Now, instead of checking storage spaces for stray rodents, Chambers said she is able to teach and transition between lessons quickly and efficiently.

She said she also knew this space wasn't only about fulfilling her needs and that she also wanted to prioritize the vision her students had for their ideal classroom.

"One of the biggest things they said they wanted, or I guess I should say didn't want, was that they didn't want there to be desks. They said they sit in desks all day and wanted something different," Chambers said.

The end result is a bright and colorful teaching space with modular high-top tables to create flexible seating options on one half of the classroom adjoined with a sleek, modern kitchen space filled with all stainless steel appliances.

"I just wanted this to be a fun and inspiring space for them where they would be able to create," Chambers said.

Students will remain in their current classrooms for the remainder of the current school year and will begin using the new facilities in the Fall of 2024. Barnette said with a bit of luck, the new building may just be used for another 80 years.

"This really is an incredible facility and she should be proud of it. Y'all's grandkids will probably be coming through here one day," Barnette told a group of students touring the new classroom.