The public will finally get a chance to tour Gardendale’s newest addition.

Gardendale High School will host an open house on March 13 from 9 a.m. to noon, and on March 14, 1-4 p.m.

“People are invited to come in and tour the building,” said assistant principal Juanita Vann. There will be no guided tours. Visitors will be allowed to walk through the building on their own.

There will also be a ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 10, which is an invitation-only event.

The new high school opened on Feb. 16, with students moving in from the Rogers Building and from portable trailers on campus.

Vann said the first two weeks in the new building have gone well.

“It’s been wonderful,” she said. “The first day was so smooth. It was just amazing.”

Vann said school administrators and teachers are still ironing out some details, but added that the students have already settled in.

Gardendale Mayor Othell Phillips said the new school will have a positive impact on the quality of growth in Gardendale.

“Schools are one of the foundations of a strong community,” said Phillips, who graduated from Gardendale High School in 1987.

“It’s come a long way since then,” he said. “On behalf of the city, I would like to thank Dr. Hammonds and Karen Smith Nix for being instrumental in the building of the new school.” Dr. Phil Hammonds is superintendent of the Jefferson County Board of Education and Karen Smith Nix is a board member.

The next phase of construction calls for demolition of the Rogers Building. Crews were

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removing furniture and other items from the building this week. Principal Dr. Anna Vacca said many of the items will be donated to other area schools.

Construction company Brasfield & Gorrie, Inc., will build a baseball field, a parking lot and a field to be used for soccer, football practice and band practice where the Rogers Building now stands.

Gardendale High School is one of three new schools being built in north Jefferson County.

Also under construction are Corner High School, slated to open this summer, and Mortimer Jordan High School, tentatively scheduled for a December 2010 opening.

Corner and Mortimer Jordan high schools are both being built at new locations due to a lack of space at their existing sites.

The new Corner High School is at 4301 Warrior-Jasper Road in Dora and the new Mortimer Jordan is at 1920 Blue Devil Drive off of Bone Dry Road in Kimberly.

Gardendale High School was rebuilt at its original address at 800 Main Street.

Board of education member Nix, a Gardendale resident, said she is pleased to see the state-of-the-art facility finally opened for students and teachers.

“New schools impact communities so much, especially high schools,” Nix said. “It’s a blessing to be a part of it.”