McKenzie High School Installs New Multi-Purpose Outdoor Pavilion

McKenzie High School’s campus amenities have expanded with the addition of a multi-purpose outdoor pavilion. The pavilion, situated across from the soccer field, is the answer to many educators’ wishes to have a dedicated location to teach outside of the classroom.

When Susan Dyer, career and technical education (CTE) director, began writing grant requests for the new school year, she sought advice from teachers about what they might want to see on campus. Several teachers mentioned wanting an alternative learning environment.

“Learning outside of the classroom is important, and we wanted the high school to have a space for classes to come outside of the walls of the classroom,” said district superintendent Dr. Justin Barden. Now that the pavilion is fully functional, he said, “Any class has access and can use it for a variety of activities.”

The pavilion has restrooms, an ice machine in the storage closet and a water fountain and an exterior faucet for filling water coolers. All rooms have air conditioning for a welcome reprieve on hot days. There are lights in each room, and the exterior poles contain electricity. The building also has a WiFi access point to aid in student learning.

Eventually, the pavilion will be outfitted with picnic tables, one of which will be handicap accessible, along with an outdoor bench and a grilling space. The storage room will also hold a rolling white board and clipboards for instructional use.

Though primarily built for outdoor learning, the pavilion serves as a multi-purpose facility.

Because of its proximity to the soccer field and the marching band’s practice space, Barden said it made sense to open the space for restroom use and a place to escape from the sun during extracurricular activities. Eventually, he and Dyer hope the pavilion will become a space for alumni, sports teams and community gatherings.

“Like we’ve done with multiple projects, we want to add value and benefit to our district facilities, and we feel the pavilion will be another one of those valuable resources for our schools and community,” said Barden. “The pavilion is a point of pride for us now and we plan to maintain it for years of great use.”

The pavilion hosts its first community event Saturday, September 20. The high school’s agriculture department will set up to sell mums and pumpkins for its annual Fall Frenzy event. In past years, the event was held at the on-campus greenhouse.

The pavilion, built by Greg Barker’s Integrity Construction Management, was completed and approved for use in August 2025.