New Facilities and Upgrades On The Horizon For Apollo High School

(KNSI) – Apollo High School is set to receive a number of new facilities in the near future.

Among them is the school’s planned in-house ambulance bay, where students will be taught emergency medical technician (EMT) and certified nursing assistant (CNA) courses. St. Cloud School District Superintendent Laurie Putnam said adding the bay reflects the district’s responsibility to meet local workforce demands, noting the healthcare field as a particularly fast-growing industry.

Progress on the school’s Apex Athletic Center continues, with security fencing now in place around the building site. Principal Justin Skaalerud said the school is still waiting on one more permit to be approved by the city before construction can begin; once approved, construction is anticipated to last one year. The facility will feature batting cages, golf simulators, and a turf field for soccer, football and golf.

The school will also build a new storm shelter on the site of a large shed on the school grounds. The shed is anticipated to be moved in July to allow crews to pour concrete on the site, with construction on the storm shelter to start in August.

Beginning next year, both Apollo and Tech High School will move their graduation ceremonies from Rivers Edge Convention Center to the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center on the St. Cloud State University campus. Putnam said the change was motivated by a desire to provide a better viewing experience for guests.

One of the biggest additions, according to Putnam, is a newly built secure entrance for students and visitors entering the school. Putnam noted that Apollo is the only school in the 742 School District without a secure entrance. The entrance will be built after the school’s storm shelter is built and brought up to code.

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