The Oak Harbor High School modernization is not yet complete, but the excitement has piqued with the opening last month of the new Student Union Building. For the first time in many years, Oak Harbor now has a proper venue for formal concerts and special events.

More than three-and-a-half years ago, Oak Harbor voters approved funding for the project. As a “thank you” to the community, the high school is hosting a Community Celebration and Open House, for a peek at the new buildings. The high school will be open for self-guided tours and will host a number of scheduled events Wednesday, Jan. 13, from 4 to 7 p.m.

This is a good opportunity for upcoming Wildcats to get a glimpse of their future; for parents to see the opportunities ahead for their children; and for the community to see how their tax dollars were invested.

There will be music in the auditorium, free food samples in the cafeteria and special events scheduled throughout the buildings.

For those who like to know the details behind the construction, architects from NAC Architecture will lead two scheduled tours, pointing out design elements, mechanical features, and energy conservation measures. The high school is the first in the state to be certified under the Sustainable Schools Protocol, an environmental-friendly effort now required in order to qualify for state funding.

Free food samples will be served in the new cafeteria to provide some idea of the lunchroom cuisine being offered every day. Chemistry labs will offer classroom demonstrations geared toward elementary and middle school children. Students and families will have a chance to sit under the lights of the new Wildcat TV studio and record a message to be aired on television throughout the year. The 3-D printer will be in action in the engineering classroom.

The auditorium will be full of music, with the high school band putting on an informal concert from 4 to 5 p.m. and the choir performing from 6 to 7 p.m. This will give everyone a chance to slip in and out of the auditorium to catch a song or two, or to see the entire performance.

A formal dedication will be held in the auditorium from 5 to 5:30 p.m. This will be a short review of how this modern school helps students, how it improves education, and what it means to the future of Oak Harbor.

The self-guided tours will include the opportunity to see the attic of B-wing, which houses the heating and ventilation equipment, and to view the boiler room, which provides heat for all the buildings at the high school. A Book Fair will also be held in the Student Union Building.