photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

The fine arts auditorium and cafeteria at Perry-Lecompton High School is pictured on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.

When Perry-Lecompton High School’s production of “Annie” took the stage late last fall, it wasn’t just a showcase for the students’ talents, but also for the new fine arts auditorium they were performing in.

“At the musical, you just felt like you were on stage with the kids,” Superintendent Josh Woodward told the Journal-World at an open house held on Monday to celebrate the district’s new facilities.

The auditorium space, which is connected to the school’s cafeteria space and can even use pull-out bleachers there for extra seating, is part of a host of improvements that the Perry-Lecompton school district has completed using a $17.8 million bond issue. With the new performing arts space, the high school has nearly doubled the size of its stage, added retractable doors around the space to create better acoustics and installed new lighting and cushioned seating, too.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

The fine arts auditorium at Perry-Lecompton High School is pictured on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.

“For those of you fortunate enough to see the play this year, the theater was an amazing space,” Perry-Lecompton school board president Nick Fergus said at the open house. “You don’t even realize you’re sitting inside of a high school building in that theater. It’s completely its own deal.”

In addition to the auditorium improvements, the money was used to construct a new auxiliary gym next to the high school, which will be used for physical education classes, weight training and even a space for the girls wrestling team to practice. South of the new gym are restrooms and baseball and softball diamonds. New office spaces with secure entrances were also added at the middle school and high school, and the old office spaces in the high school are being repurposed as classrooms.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Perry-Lecompton school board members and administrative staff participate in a ribbon-cutting for the districts new facilities on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.

“It is a huge upgrade for our baseball and softball teams to have this facility,” Woodward said. “And the gym, that’s going to be great because the whole community is going to be able to use that … and they’ve already started reserving time starting this week … But for me, the theater quickly became my favorite part because of how different it is, and I knew that our fine arts kids have not had something like that.”

Woodward described the safety improvements at the entrances to the high school and middle school that allow staff to see all visitors through a window, which wasn’t possible before. The entrances also require visitors to pass through two separate doors before entering the buildings.

And there will be more efforts to improve each school’s safety. The district applied for a school violence prevention program with the U.S. Department of Justice, and staff found out in October that the district would receive a $200,000 grant.

“We’re going to have about 200,000 more dollars put in to secure our buildings,” Woodward said. “And one of the things we’re going to do is put some safety film on all of the low glass areas (on the windows in a mezzanine area of the high school).”

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

The new auxiliary gym outside of Perry-Lecompton High School.

Fergus said after more than a year of planning and putting it all together, he was proud that the final phase of construction was complete at last.

“This is something for the community to be proud of,” Fergus said. “This is something for our district to be proud of.”

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Perry-Lecompton school board members and administrative staff participate in a ribbon-cutting for the districts new facilities on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

The weight lifting room inside the Perry-Lecompton school district’s new auxiliary gym is pictured on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

People gathered for a tour of the Perry-Lecompton school district’s newest facilities on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

A new area for the girls’ wrestling team at Perry-Lecompton school district to practice is included in the new auxiliary gym.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

The weight lifting room inside the Perry-Lecompton school district’s new auxiliary gym is pictured on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Community members gather outside of Perry-Lecompton school district’s new auxiliary gym on Jan. 5, 2026.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

People gathered for a tour of the Perry-Lecompton school district’s newest facilities on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

The office space at Perry-Lecompton High School is pictured on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

The office space at Perry-Lecompton High School is pictured on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

The new baseball diamond next to Perry-Lecompton High School is pictured on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

The new baseball diamond next to Perry-Lecompton High School is pictured on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

The new softball diamond next to Perry-Lecompton High School is pictured on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.