April 18, 2022 – San Antonio ISD will commemorate the completion of new, state-of-the-art campus improvements for the 2016 Bond Program for the Sidney Lanier High School, on Saturday, April 23, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at 1514 W. Cesar E. Chavez Blvd., San Antonio, TX 78207. 

SAISD Trustee Patti Radle will join Dr. Moises Ortiz, Lanier principal, students, staff, and community members for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house to let the community see the newly renovated learning spaces at Lanier High School. 

“These improvements to Lanier High School are a shining example of what a community can accomplish together when we collectively work on behalf of our children,” says Radle, a longtime advocate for quality education in San Antonio. 

Plans for constructing the latest improvements at Lanier were developed as part of a 2016 Bond referendum, which was overwhelmingly approved by San Antonio residents following extensive discussion and debate about how to best address the needs of the campus originally built at the site in 1915 and later renovated in 1975.   
 
Priorities for the new school included expanding overall capacity, ensuring accessibility for all students, and creating innovative and flexible learning spaces in support of SAISD’s long-range facilities master plan. The most recent improvements are reflective of the district’s strategic goal to transform SAISD into a national model urban school district by creating exemplary 21st-century learning environments and building systems for new and renovated facilities. 

Trustee Radle noted the San Antonio community’s ability to come together to solve complex problems, observing the many different voices that worked together on the 2016 bond program. 

“I feel extremely fortunate and proud to be a part of this caring and supportive community and to celebrate the latest improvements at Lanier High School,” Radle said.  

“We are a special part of this community. Lanier is not just a physical structure, but it is the people and memories within it that make it exceptional,” said Dr. Ortiz. “While it has been a long journey to today’s celebration, so much care has been given to honoring the best parts of Lanier. Our history, community, and our families are all a part of what makes us so extraordinary and will forever remain a part of our new home." 

The 2016 Bond project was led by Architect LPA, Inc., and Construction Manager At-Risk Gilbane with $46,894,508 allocated for the following improvements: 

• Classroom spaces (general learning, science, fine arts, special education)
• Restrooms
• Cafeteria/kitchen
• Auditorium (work still in progress)
• Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning
• Technology infrastructure for new and renovated spaces
• Plumbing and electrical
• Special needs accessibility in entryways, restrooms, and other areas
• Fire sprinkler systems
• Lighting
• Front-entry modifications to improve security
• Athletic track re-coating
• Roofing, building exterior, and site improvements
 
SAISD and the architectural team sought to create spaces that would benefit the entire Lanier community. 

“Renovating Lanier High School was about transformation. A significant building with deep ties to the Westside, the design was directly shaped by stakeholder feedback to create future-ready learning spaces,” said Federico Cavazos, project architect, LPA Design Studios. 

Lanier High School, which serves grades 9-12, is best known for its choice program specialization, its ACE Advanced Academy - Architecture, Construction and Engineering, and certifications in automotive technology. Academic offerings include arts and humanities; business and entrepreneurship; cosmetology; criminal justice; culinary arts; education and training; health science: pharmacology; graphic design and printmaking; information technology: computer programming; information technology: networking; multidisciplinary studies; and public service: JROTC. Lanier students and alumni are also regularly recognized for their achievements in campus extracurricular programs. 
 
Moving forward, an additional $26,126,855 has been allocated for the 2020 bond program to fund the following improvements:  

• Infrastructure and wireless/wired components for high-speed connectivity for learning in every classroom, science lab and other areas of the campus 
• Classroom audio systems, interactive smart boards, support tools and student devices 
• New interior and exterior security cameras  
• Overhaul or replacement of the library building  
• Renovations to the alumni center  
• New sports fields with artificial turf 
• Re-paving and re-surfacing parking lots and driveways 
 
For more information on the SAISD 2020 Bond Program, email Bond@saisd.net or visit www.saisd.net.   
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EDITOR’S NOTE: The Lanier JROTC, band, pep squad and cheerleaders will lead the festivities with music and celebration. Eighth-grade students from Tafolla and Rhodes middle schools and Crockett Academy will be joining the high school band to provide musical entertainment and to tour the newly renovated areas.