BY KYRA BACON
The dedication of the Cooper City High School 3900 building was on Saturday, August 9th at 1pm. The event, held in the main courtyard, officially introduced the completed project to the community.
The ceremony started off with the CCHS Sound of Pride band and color guard to welcome the guests. Among the guests present were three school board members and several city commissioners, as well as Mayor Greg Ross, Senator Eleanor Sobel. The distinguished Skanska project directors who oversaw the completion of the new building construction were also in attendance.
Many of the attendees spoke during the ceremony and discussed the changes to the school and their impact on the community.
“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going…where we are today was anything but a shortcut,” Mayor Ross said during his speech. “However, it was certainly worthwhile. This school building was not completed singlehandedly…it took a large effort from the school board…to Cooper City High School, I wish complete success and a bright future.”
Mayor Ross also thanked the many school board members, city commissioners, and CCHS administrators for their help, and offered a generous donation of $100,000 to Cooper City’s five A-rated schools “for the sole purpose of obtaining computers for our children,” Mayor Ross said.
After Senator Sobel and Cadre Director Michael Ramirez spoke, Principal Wendy Doll thanked the CCHS vice-principals, the elementary and middle school principals, and many others who contributed to the new building construction. Together with school board member Laurie Rich Levinson, Doll unveiled the brotherhood plaque that had been moved from the old building to the main courtyard for the event.
“This is the plaque that really is the foundation and the principle of what Cooper City High School is all about: brotherhood, love and pride,” Doll said as she unveiled the plaque.
The ceremony then moved to the football field to unveil the Billie R. Gill Football Stadium plaque, where several attendees of the event posed for pictures. Another plaque commemorating Cooper City Founder Morris Cooper, first presented at the school’s opening in 1971, was restored and placed at the entrance of the school to be admired during the ceremony. After all plaques had been unveiled, the CCHS SGA board gave tours of the school to all those in attendance.
“Cooper City High School has had a legacy and tradition since its start and it’s extremely important, despite the changes to the school, to maintain this tradition, and that is what this event is all about,” Doll said.
