When Calhoun High students go back to class on August 16, they’ll be entering a long-familiar school building.

They could end the year in a new one.

Construction of the new Calhoun Middle/ High School complex is still ongoing and on schedule, Calhoun City Schools Superintendent Dr. Michele Taylor said this week.

The high school portion could be open to students by Spring Break, although the date is not guaranteed, the building is expected to be ready by the end of the school year, said Taylor.

“We’re very pleased with the progress,” Taylor said. “They have been working feverishly, well into the evenings. Students will be blown away.”

Construction of the complex was split into two phases: Phase I being the high school and Phase II the middle school.

Construction of the middle school will begin in March of 2013, with an estimated completion date of April, 2014.

The most recent construction report released by the school district, dated July 17, outlined the progress.

According to the report:

• Steel erection has been completed on the western “C” wing and is progressing on the main “A” wing of the high school.

• Installation of storm systems, utilities, and modular retaining walls has been completed or is in the final stages of completion for all Phase I projects.

• Installation of walls and external and internal bricks on the “C” wing is nearing completion.

• On the “A” wing, more than half of the concrete slab on grate has been placed; concrete foundations are completed and steel erection is 50 percent completed.

• The northern, “B” wing, is still in the early stages of construction. The foundations excavation is 60 percent complete on the “B” wing.

The checklist on both phases is quite extensive, but the report indicates that all construction related projects on the high school will be completed by January. Final touches on the school could continue until June.

To view the most recent construction report, visit www.calhountimes.com.