CRESTVIEW — Crestview High School's current building has been in place since 1969.
But the passing years haven't been so kind, resulting in faded red paint, a cracked parking lot and broken lettering.
"It looked terrible!" Principal Dexter Day said. "It was falling apart, all of it. (The letters) had duct tape on them!"
However, a facelift is in progress.
PAINT AND PAVEMENT
Day sought CHS students' opinions, offering three options for the "Crestview High School / Home of the Bulldogs" lettering:
●Black-outlined white letters
●White-outlined black letters
●Red on white letters
Almost all the students he asked showed interest in white on black letters. $3,000 later, CHS had new letters.
Now, the school's administration is focused on another concern: repainting the once vibrant red, which has dwindled to an almost maroon color — definitely not reflecting Bulldog spirit.
The front of the school has been repainted the bright red all former Bulldogs remember; the rest of the project will be completed in phases.
Money, or lack thereof, is the main reason the entire exterior can't be repainted at once. "As soon as we get enough to continue, (we'll) use it," Day said.
Painting the full exterior will cost $8,000, with funds coming from the School Advisory Committee, state allocations and donations.
CHS this year also updated the parking lot. The paint wore down to the point that you could barely see the parking spot you were pulling into.
To fix this, Day decided to repave and repaint the parking lots. The result made the parking lots smoother and easier to drive on, and it improved the school's curb appeal.
MOTTO AND BULLDOG
CHS's motto is "Academics, Arts, Athletics."
"Academics is the main priority — the most important," Day said, adding he plans to make "Academics" stand out more on the sign you see as you enter the school.
CHS will have one more exterior update. The bulldog at the entrance was once a spotless white, but over the years has become dingy and grayed.
The bricks, serving as a base for the bulldog, will be painted red, white or black for a more finished look.
Then, the bulldog itself will be repainted a spotless white.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview High School receives a much needed exterior touch up