Perryton ISD staff tours high school, Wright Elementary renovations; gym to be enclosed as storm shelter

A district staff member provided a recorded walkthrough of ongoing construction at Perryton ISD, describing completed hallway and classroom renovations at the high school and Wright Elementary and plans to enclose a gym at Wright Elementary as a storm shelter. The staff member narrated visible upgrades including new ceilings, lighting, cabinetry, classroom doors, restrooms and a new audiovisual space.

The walkthrough matters to Perryton ISD students and staff because it documents improvements to learning environments and a specific safety modification: closing the upper windows of Wright Elementary’s gym and adding protective steel doors to create a more secure space during severe weather. "The roof across the top is made of concrete, and the walls are, cinder block and concrete all around," the staff member said, explaining why the district plans to fill the window openings with concrete and cinder block to create the storm shelter.

At the high school, the staff member pointed out updated hallway panels and installed lighting and ceilings, newly outfitted staff rooms and staff bathrooms, and an audiovisual training room and studio with a new fire-exit door. "It looks really, really nice," the staff member said of the renovated corridors. The staff member also showed updated boys’ restrooms and cabinetry in classrooms and noted students are already using some completed rooms.

At Wright Elementary, the staff member described new cabinetry, whiteboards, additional electrical outlets, new doors and a refreshed ceiling with color accents. The walkthrough included another updated boys’ restroom with new dividers and ceramic tile. The staff member said workers were still completing adjacent sections of classrooms when the recording took place.

On the gym conversion, the staff member said the building’s concrete roof and cinder-block walls make the gym a strong candidate for a storm shelter, and that the district will "close in those windows with concrete and cinder block" and add "very protective steel doors." The narration indicated the work is intended to provide a "best and safest and most protected place for our kids to be during severe weather." No vote or formal board action was recorded in the walkthrough.

The walkthrough concluded with a brief statement that the district will continue to provide updates on construction progress. "Stay tuned. We'll keep you updated," the staff member said.