New Gulf Shores High School construction partially collapses

GCM Staff Report
Posted 1/27/25

Part of the construction at the new Gulf Shores High School on the Beach Express side of the property has collapsed.

Superintendent Matt Akin told Gulf Coast Media Monday morning that the …

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New Gulf Shores High School construction partially collapses

Posted

Part of the construction at the new Gulf Shores High School on the Beach Express side of the property has collapsed.

Superintendent Matt Akin told Gulf Coast Media Monday morning that the collapse was part of the practice facility, which is not connected to other parts of the building or the main school.

He said inspectors and contractors are working to determine the cause. It was not immediately clear if it was due to last week’s snowstorm or if there were workers on site.

As previously reported by GCM, the new high school building, which will accommodate students in grades 9-12, will feature hands-on learning and leading-edge technology in bio-medical, marine biology, engineering, culinary and finance labs, maker spaces, art, music production and broadcast studios.

There will also be a new state-of-the-art performing arts center with dedicated spaces for band, choral and drama students and a new athletic center for all sports including locker rooms for all varsity and junior varsity teams, two competition-size gymnasiums, tiered meeting rooms, athletic training rooms, coaches' office suites and an additional 18,000-square-foot field house complete with an athletic performance center planned to be connected to a covered 100-yard practice pavilion, which is the part of the  that has recently collapsed, that will provide year-round training opportunities for all Dolphin athletes.

In addition to the new high school campus, the plan for the high school's upgrades also includes recommendations to convert and renovate the existing elementary and middle school campus to accommodate grades Pre-K-5 and convert and renovate the existing high school campus to accommodate grades 6-8.

"When we started planning on building a school, we didn't start with what color the brick was going to be or how many windows it was going to have but what should learning look like and how can we support our students and teachers," Akin said in a story previously covered by GCM. "This project is about much more than just building boxes to satisfy capacity. This new high school was designed with the needs of students and teachers at the forefront. It embraces collaboration and innovation and will facilitate a new way of learning that will increase engagement and outcomes in every aspect of our students' educational experience."

Per an August 2022 GCM article, the project for the new high school was first approved at a city council meeting that same month. Steve Griffin, who was city administrator at the time, said at the time the new high school has been a priority since the city created its own school system in 2019.

According to Akin in a December 2024 GCM article, the campus is expected to be completed in spring 2026.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information comes in.