SYRACUSE — This month nearly 1,000 Titans will settle in to the biggest high school in Davis School District.

The 385,000-square-foot facility will open its doors to sophomores and juniors in the Syracuse area Aug. 29.

It took two years and $38 million to construct the building, which is Davis' eighth high school and now the biggest school in the state under one roof.

"In the long run it's not a brand-new building or an old building that makes great education, it's what is happening inside," said Davis Superintendent Bryan Bowles. "This (building) gives some opportunities for kids to do some things in some new ways, but it's what happens inside that makes a good education."

Though the school has a capacity of 2,300 students, only about 1,000 students will be attending this fall since there will be no seniors at the school this year. And even next year officials only expect enrollment to hit 1,600, but say they have made room for the possibility of students coming from developments that will be built on the raw land surrounding the school.

The school has the biggest auditorium in the district and one of only three practice sound rooms — a small room that can duplicate the acoustics of a cathedral, an auditorium, a recital hall or even a stadium — in the state. Davis High School and the University of Utah have the other two.

It also boasts a dance studio, two gymnasiums and an indoor running track. And the school will open the doors of the fitness room — with treadmills, elliptical trainers and weight room — to students and the community for use before and after school.

The open commons area and ample light are similar to both Davis High and West Point Junior High — two schools that received national kudos for their design.

The entrances are well-lit and faux street lamps pepper the halls, creating what Davis District planning director Gary Payne said is a more welcoming environment.

"We want a school that a kid wakes up in the morning and says 'I want to go to school today,"' said Payne.

He said a design trend in newer schools is to give students a sense of security, make the school less intimidating and work with the curriculum.

In Syracuse High students will be divided into smaller learning communities or "wings" based on their career interests — such as a science wing, arts wing or math wing.

Teachers in those wings teach the core subjects like English, math and science — regardless of which wing they are in — but they collaborate with each other and use techniques that lend themselves to the particular career interest in that wing.

Bowles said the increasingly more elaborate schools that districts are building nationwide reflects dedication to preparing students for the world of tomorrow, ensuring they are adequately introduced to a number of disciplines, giving students a solid foundation and a leg up in whatever field they choose to pursue.

"We can't prepare kids for the world we know today, we have to prepare them for the world in which they are going to live," Bowles said.

The district is also opening two new elementary schools: Snow Horse Elementary in West Kaysville and Ellison Park in West Layton.

---

E-mail: terickson@desnews.com