Scots Getting Facilities to Match Their Reputation
Renovations give Highland Park athletes new places to compete, prepare
Outsiders have long assumed, based primarily on wins and losses, that Highland Park has state-of-the-art athletic facilities.
Scots athletes and coaches might suggest otherwise. But with a handful of construction projects nearing completion, perception can finally match reality.
“Now we have ‘wow’ facilities,” said HP athletic director Johnny Ringo from his office inside Highland Park ISD’s new multipurpose facility across from Highlander Stadium. “It’s great for our athletes and the community.”
While district buildings have been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, construction has been ongoing on multiple projects at Highland Park High School, which were approved as part of the district’s massive 2016 bond initiative.
“Now we have ‘wow facilities.”
Johnny Ringo
The most noteworthy is the two-story multipurpose building, which should be complete this fall. It includes a gigantic trophy case alongside the center stairwell, leading to the main banquet room for HPISD board meetings and other events. The second-floor atrium has large windows overlooking the stadium.
Along with office and kitchen space, the facility is home to a new eight-lane natatorium with spacious bleachers, cutting-edge scoring and timing technology, and accompanying locker rooms. Ringo said HP hopes to host swim meets there later this season.
The building connects to a new 5,000-square-foot weight room with 26 racks and fully customized equipment. It’s adjacent to a new baseball locker room, with the prior baseball space now refurbished into a sports medicine center.
At the stadium itself, HP has significantly increased its space for coaching offices, meeting rooms, and the Scot Shop storefront. Plus, a new varsity football locker room is outfitted with 145 wood-framed lockers with padded seating.
“It’s hard to visualize [in your head],” Ringo said. “Seeing it all come together has been unbelievable.”
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