WINDERMERE, Fla. – As the first day of school approaches, many are excited about going to brand new schools. News 6 anchor Bridgett Ellison got a sneak peek tour of the new Windermere High School in Orange County. The new relief school to West Orange High is on Winter Garden Vineland Road just south of Lake Butler Blvd.
With a $93.5 million budget, the WHS campus sits on 65.5 acres with a gross floor area of 376,000 square feet. The school will be home to about 2,000 students, who will be known as the Wolverines, with room for more than 2,700 students.
"The community wanted the school built for a long time. Now its here; it's a beautiful campus. We are up to date with all technology, the buildings are absolutely gorgeous inside and out, the landscaping, the athletic fields, we're just very excited," principal Douglas Guthrie said.
Students start school Aug. 14, while teachers started Monday. Former middle school teacher Jillian Terry said she can't wait to get the school year going at Windermere High.
"I'm really excited and looking forward to meeting all the new people and the campus, just everything that comes along with high school," Jillian Terry, an algebra 1 teacher, said.
The school offers collaborative-style classrooms and a cafeteria with a variety of seating options, plus docking and charging stations. There's even a cistern in the courtyard collecting rainwater for greenhouse projects at the school. The off-site football stadium for WHS is slated to be finished in December. WHS is one of 13 new, renovated or rebuilt schools opening this year in the Orange County School District.