On Nov. 1, just over a year after breaking ground, crews from Kaiser Electric graduated from the construction site of Fr. Tolton Catholic High School — the first Catholic high school in Columbia, Mo., to welcome students for the first day of class.
Kaiser Electric crews installed the $10 million school's electrical system, which included a 2,000A service, interior and exterior lighting, lighting controls, pole lights, fire alarm, security system and gymnasium sound system. The 60,000-square-foot high school is located at U.S. 63 and Gans Road.
The three-story school includes a gymnasium with basement, library with computer room, cafeteria, art room, band room, chapel and 16 classrooms. Future expansion of the school and its third floor include a kitchen, additional classrooms, baseball and football fields, and a running track.
Energy-efficient electrical options wired into the new school include occupancy sensors in every room and a lighting control system. Additionally, Kaiser crews wired each classroom for future smart boards and wireless computer networks, plus an eight-speaker surround sound system in the gymnasium. The chapel was also wired with a dimming system and indirect lighting was installed in the classrooms.
The new school opened to ninth- and tenth-grade students on Nov. 1; grade 11 will be added in 2012 and grade 12 the following year. Construction on the school was funded by private donations.
