Bulldogs Legacy Plaza taking shape at North Bend High
NORTH BEND, Ore. - There’s excitement among students and staff at North Bend High School as they prepare for the dedication of the Bulldogs Legacy Plaza next month..
Friday’s paint party kicks off the countdown to the big reveal.
There’s still work to be done: lighting to put in, and a bulldog statue to be placed on top of this rock ahead of the dedication ceremony for the plaza.
The project is expected to be completed in March.
"It started several years ago," said Cordell Berge from the Friends of Bulldogs Legacy Plaza committee. "Some of the foundation board had gotten together with an architect in Coos Bay, Joe Slack, and they designed this plaza space. Before then, it was just a patch of dirt and grass."
"To have a space that would rally fans of North Bend High School and for the students, a place to assemble, to have events, and for alumni coming back," Berge said. "Over the next few years, we hope that we can continue selling pavers so that we can fund student projects."
Money from the purchase of the bricks and from all major donors also go toward funding student projects for the school.
Pavers range from $75 for a small brick to $150 for a large brick. Berge says major donors are those who contribute a thousand dollars or more.
School organizers are still taking orders for community members who would like to purchase bricks in the plaza.
Mike Forrester, athletic director at North Bend High, says the school is trying to work around the 3A and 4A state basketball tournaments happening next month.
The project and many other school initiatives not funded by the school district get their funding from the North Bend School Foundation.
The foundation raises money for teachers in the district to complete projects in classrooms that the district can't afford or hasn't budgeted for.
Forrester says money from the North Bend School Foundation is awarded at the start of the school year.
It has funded the purchase of microscopes for science classes as well as instruments for music classes.
