Ruth Varghese
As part of the GISD Bond that was passed on Nov. 4,  the school will receive money to put toward the fine arts programs, specifically band and orchestra.

“They won’t purchase any instruments or anything like that with this money,” band director Todd Toney said. “It’s strictly construction, which is kinda nice, because the old bonds were for instruments. That’s good, but instruments wear out.”

Toney believes that the money from this bond will help with the construction of a new band hall as well as a renovation of the current band hall to accommodate orchestra.

“We’re sharing this space with orchestra, because they are too big for their space,” Toney said. “Our original band hall was designed to house around 135 people, and right now it has around 300 people who walk through here every day, when you combine band and orchestra.”

Although the current band hall was more than sufficient when it was built, Toney explains that as the school has expanded, so did the band program. Toney also said he expects it to grow even more with the construction of the new facility.

“Odds are we will grow. You know the school has grown by 400 kids in the last two years, and that’s where a lot of our growth comes from,” Toney said. “Like a plant grows to its pot, like a fish will grow to its tank, we’ll grow.”

However as Toney estimates the construction will take anywhere between three to five years, the current band students are not likely to be able to experience the changes. That does not discourage them though, because many alums visit the band hall often.

“I think everybody’s excited, even the kids who won’t be able to benefit from it, mostly because they have that connection to the band and to the future of the band,” Toney said.

Although there have been no final decisions made on what the bond money will be used for, Toney says he is excited for future accomplishments.

“We’re thrilled,” Toney said. “It’s gonna be really cool.”