It’s been several years since students at Yates High School had a swim team. But with the completion of the school’s new natatorium set for April, students are one step closer to making that team a reality once again. 

Construction on the school’s natatorium and four-lane practice pool is 55 percent complete. The building’s exterior walls – which feature large garage-style overhead coiling doors that allow fresh air inside and have fencing at each opening to maintain a secure perimeter — were built first to ensure interior pool construction would not be affected by wet weather.  

The pool’s concrete foundation was laid in January, and pool walls are now being constructed. The project is expected to wrap up later this semester. 

“In the past, Jack Yates had a great deal of pride in its swimming program,” Yates Principal Tiffany Guillory said, noting that both the campus and the community are excited about the new addition.  

“Alumni have shared their excitement for the students to have the opportunities they were afforded in their time at Jack Yates. We look forward to reconstituting our swimming program and providing opportunities for students overall.” 

The natatorium is a realignment project — a new, board-approved project that was not a part of the original scope of work but is funded by surplus 2012 Bond Program funds.  

Similar projects are underway at two more high schools. A natatorium being built at Milby High School is nearly complete, and a natatorium being built at Booker T. Washington High School is expected to be completed later this spring.  

Yates is among 40 schools, including 29 high schools, across the district that are being renovated or rebuilt as part of the 2012 Bond Program. Almost 90 percent of all school construction projects are now complete, and HISD will soon boast of one of the most modern portfolios of urban high schools in the country.  

Follow @Build_HISD on Twitter for the latest updates on the 2012 Bond Program and school construction across the district.