LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The community got their first look Thursday night at the $42 million dollar renovation of the Academy @ Shawnee. Jefferson County Public Schools hopes the massive transformation sends a symbolic message to the students and neighborhoods of west Louisville.
The school's third floor was condemned for decades, but it's now a space for students to learn again.
"Imagine now, there was a padlocked door right here that we couldn't go up," teacher Ken Williams said while giving a tour during the open house. "It's night and day. It's truly a breath of fresh air."
Williams has spent the past eight years teaching at Shawnee. When he first saw the renovated school, he said he immediately thought of "the kids."
"I hope they feel invested in," said Williams. "For so long they just haven't felt that. They felt, it's the same old Shawnee. But with the renovation, they can see that it's a new Shawnee. It's a new day."
Williams said it was exciting to see the community's enthusiasm for the updated school.
"This started at 6. We had people showing up at 5:30 ready for their tour," he said. They wanted to see their school, because this is theirs, you know."
The open house brought back some of Shawnee's students from the past, including Terry and Bonnie Abbott. They classmates started dating while attending Shawnee in the mid-1960s.
"We've been married 52 years — 9 grandkids, 3 great grandkids," said Terry.
Bonnie Abbott said returning to their old high school was surprisingly emotional.
"Seeing the same walls, and just so many memories of friends here," she said. "It's good memories."
Between the school's new pool, new paint, new floors, new classrooms, and a new auditorium that's under construction, there's a new energy buzzing inside the Academy @ Shawnee.
"My auntie went here, and when I talked to her, she said it wasn't like this when she went here," said Raylan Reynolds, a fourth grader who said he's now excited to get to high school. "I'm thinking this would be a good fit for me, because I can easily walk here, so I think it will be a good fit for me."
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