CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Big changes are underway in the Ingleside Independent School District as $26 million is being invested into Leon Taylor Middle School.
The large investment started out as a $19 million project, but due to material cost and inflation, an additional $7 million was tacked onto that price tag. However, with thousands of dollars being donated by global chemical company Chemours, Leon Taylor Middle School Principal Tyler Vernon said every penny counts.
"We're building a first-class facility," he said.
Vernon said the facility will be 900 square feet smaller than the high school and the amenities will help bolster the school's curriculum.
"The science club in particular will be world class. We will be second to nobody," he said.
Chemours Ingleside Lab Supervisor Kristin Rendessy said that through the program ChemFest, students will have early exposure to STEM education by supplying 3-D printers, chemistry and engineering sets.
"If you remember or if you have kids in middle school, middle school ages were the most impressionable. So our goal is to really inspire and engage these kids to get them excited in a career path in STEM," she said.
Vernon said that program will only help reinforce the already strong curriculum.
"As it is right now, all of our middle school kids have access to a STEM elective. There's going to be STEM clubs that we have. We have robotics coming in the future, AutoCAD and coding right behind that as well," he said.
Rendessy said the opportunity is only scratching the surface to a world of possibilities for young minds in the community.
"There's a lot of exciting things to come in the future," she said.
The district is projecting construction to be completed by Labor Day weekend this year. It will house about 600 sixth, seven and eighth grade students.
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