New arts center opens
A brand new 1,200 seat performing arts center at Germantown High School Campus opened Tuesday morning with the GHS Wind Symphony.
The new Charlotte Harness Seals Performing Arts Center at Germantown High School is named after a former superintendent of the school district.
Retired Superintendent Charlotte Seals who oversaw the beginning of the construction of the facility back in 2023, was on hand for the opening of the 55,000 square-foot facility named in her honor.
The ribbon cutting and inaugural concert was held at the new facility on Tuesday, March 25, at 10 a.m.
Inaugural performances on stage included the 2024 7A State Champion Germantown Band’s Wind Symphony and Germantown’s nationally recognized choir Legacy.
Superintendent Ted Poore and Madison County Board of Education President Ken McCoy thanked JBHM Architecture for designing the structure and AnderCorp for executing the construction of the new facility.
It was also noted that the entire project, including both the performing arts center and a new wing of classrooms opened last summer, was fully funded without raising any local taxes.
“Many thanks to the GHS Student Government Association, the GHS Marine Corps JROTC Color Guard, and all student performers for making the opening day one to remember,” a statement from the school district said.
The Charlotte Harness Seals Performing Arts Center, along with the addition of 24 classrooms completed in 2024 on the east side of the Germantown High School campus, provides 96,000 square feet of new space for students and faculty, district spokesperson Gene Graham said.
“Madison County Schools is committed to providing an excellent education within outstanding facilities for all students, and these new projects are important to accommodate the growing student population in the Gluckstadt area,” Graham said.
Germantown High School is home to 1,390 students in grades nine through 12 in the Germantown Zone of Madison County Schools. The A-rated school excels in academics, athletics, and the arts, Graham said. The new performing arts center provides space for the 2024 7A State Champion Germantown Band and nationally recognized choir program to perform throughout the year and serves as an outstanding venue for creative dramatics and musical performance for students of all ages across the entire Germantown Zone.