2010s

SCHOOL HISTORY BY DECADE:

Pre-1940s · 1940s · 1950s · 1960s · 1970s · 1980s · 1990s · 2000s · 2010s · 2020s · Sports

The 2010s began with more campus improvements, and in 2012, LaDonna Chancellor succeeded Teri Brant as BHS principal. After the major additions and renovations of the 2000s, one might think the next decade would be calmer, but far from it.

A record recession in 2008 plus repeated state income tax cuts sent state school revenues plummeting. As part of its recovery plan, the district closed one elementary school and decided to consolidate its secondary schools to reduce overhead costs while addressing major facility problems at both of the old middle school buildings.

After voting down an initial plan that included reconfiguring BHS to serve grades 10-12, voters heavily endorsed in September 2013 a $36.7 million bond issue that included over $20 million to expand Bartlesville High School to serve grades 9-12. That would allow the district to shift Madison Middle School to the former Mid-High/Sooner High campus, temporarily shift Central Middle School to the former Madison campus for a year while Central was renovated, and then demolish the Madison buildings.

A large addition at the southeast corner of the campus would wrap around the Bruin Field House, replacing the connecting link built in 2008 and providing a large cafeteria/commons, additional classrooms to help accommodate sophomores, and a designated Freshman Academy area with its own classrooms, librarImagey, and office. 

Freshman Academy

The 10th-12th grade classes were reorganized by department, resulting in almost all senior high teachers changing classrooms plus all of the staff from the Mid-High moving across town to BHS. 

Since the science wing was on the north end, a smaller addition to it added four more science labs on the north end of the campus to serve sophomores along with four new science labs in the Freshman Academy area.

The Freshman Academy opened and the school began serving students in grades 9-12 in August 2015.

Expanding BHS

2017 Chromebook in case

Chromebooks

Chromebook carts were issued to 10th-12th grade English classrooms in 2016-17, and in 2017-18 a take-home Chromebook was issued to every freshman. In 2018-19, the school began issuing take-home Chromebooks to all high school students, and that program expanded to include all middle and high school students in 2019-20.

Photographs

Facility History:

2010
Custer Stadium had additional improvements with 220 new reserved seats added and a 
handicapped seating area near the field for 10 wheelchairs with benches for 10 companions.

2011
Replacement of HVAC systems in central portion of main building (office areas, former library, rooms 220-227)

Renovation of main office to provide supervision of foyer and add more offices, moving the mailroom across the hall into the former attendance office.

Replacement of doors throughout the 1939 main building, 1954 stadium, & 1958 annex

Renovation of upstairs special education complex to provide a kitchen, restroom, and improved classroom for special education students

Renovation of the original library's stacks area into a new classroom

Replacement of original windows on east area of main building and throughout the annex with new more efficient models

Renovated counseling area for student services

The interior of the connecting link was upgraded with wall finishes, a tile floor, and climate control; it was not suspected at the time that a major expansion would wipe it out in four years.

Handicapped seating, an improved and safer ramp to the bleachers, and renovated restrooms for Custer Stadium were completed for the football season.

The 
Bruin Activity Center (indoor practice facility) was expanded with a 3rd bay, which late in the decade would be walled off to form cheerleading and athletics weight-lifting rooms.

The retail building at the corner of 18th and Hillcrest was demolished and that property and the Crestview Property south of the FAC and west of the Bruin Activity Center 
were converted into new parking lots closer to the main entrance of the Fine Arts Center and Bruin Field House.

2012
About $1.2 million in additional improvements were funded via the 2007 bond issue:

Many chalkboards were refitted with markerboards.

New teacher desks in the 1939 main building, 1954 stadium, and 1958 annex classrooms.

Floor tile replacement throughout the corridors and classrooms of the 1939 main building, 1954 stadium, and 1958 annex; corridor tile replacement in the science wing.

The 
old science labs in the main building and annex were remodeled to remove the remaining sinks, gas outlets, vent hoods, counters, and demonstration desks.

The 
tiny greenhouse atop the 1954 annex was removed and the wall tile in the corridor connecting the second floor of the main building and annex was replaced.

Former chemistry lab 
207 was split into two smaller classrooms.

The former library, which had become a large computer lab, had all of the old wood shelving removed and was split by a foldable partition wall into two rooms used as computer labs and conference rooms.

The 1963 
metal building was razed; it was originally an auxiliary cafeteria.

A dropped ceiling was installed for the first time in the top level of the stadium, which has restrooms and a concession stand.

The raised concrete lettering on the northwest corner of the main building, which originally said 
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL AND JUNIOR COLLEGE, and had been modified decades before to only show SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL, was removed and new signage, matching that used at the entrance to the Fine Arts Center, said BARTLESVILLE HIGH SCHOOL. (The raised lettering originally included another line with AND JUNIOR COLLEGE, but that was removed in the 1950s, although its traces were still visible.)

2013
Additional Custer Stadium improvements were funded via the 2012 bond issue. The 
lights and sound system were replaced and additional hand rails were installed. The old south concession stand was demolished, replaced by a new larger one farther from the track south of the visitor stands.

Other work included replacing almost all remaining chalkboards with markerboards, a new clock system, a new front marquee with a large color screen, reworked floor tile in the foyer, and additional sound equipment, a new projector system, and video equipment for the Fine Arts Center.

2014-2015
Building the Future project to expand the school to serve grades 9-12.

2015
The Freshman Academy opened and the campus began serving students in grades 9-12 in August 2015. The former 
basement cafeteria was remodeled into Phillips 66 Innovation Labs with IT lab, presentations room, and projects room for STEM classes.

2017-2018
Renovations included replacing the 
almost-unusable tennis courts with new tennis courts, renovating the added bay of the Bruin Activity Center into an athletics weight room and cheerleading practice room, renovating the Phillips Field House original auto shop (later journalism and pom rooms) into an auxiliary instrumental music room with a stairway down into the band room in the Fine Arts Center, renovating the classrooms on the west of the Phillips Field House into music storage and a pom locker room, and renovating the 1968 auxiliary gym from a weight room into a pom practice room. The 1968 addition's small gym was renovated as were adjoining locker rooms and offices. The computer lab in the Fine Arts Center was renovated into a choir ensemble room and a room off the lobby into a flags practice room. The Doornbos track was resurfaced.

In the main building, former business/typing lab 106 was renovated into a computer science lab in 2017 and in 2018 the former art room/English classroom/non-dedicated computer lab in 109 was also renovated into a computer science lab. A storage room/office was built in annex room 132 for the Student Technology Support Team program to repair Chromebooks. The projects room of the Phillips 66 Innovation Labs in the former basement cafeteria was partitioned to create a pre-engineering workroom with shop area.

2018

The city council gave the honorary name of Jim Bohnsack Avenue to the portion of Shawnee Avenue south of 18th Street.

2018-2019
Turf replaced on Lyon Field at Custer Stadium.

2019-2020
65-year-old pressbox removed from atop Custer Stadium.