Upperman HS Making Plans For Livestock Facility For CTE Program

Upperman High School set to get a new livestock barn facility through the district’s Innovative School Model grant funding.

Interim CTE Supervisor Jackie Vester said there has been an interest in such a facility from the school’s CTE program for some time. She said because Upperman offers an animal science pathway program, it seemed like a right fit.

“So this would allow an additional opportunity to have hands-on lab experiences,” Vester said. “And when we’re looking at the bigger agriculture community, this facility would be available not only to our students but community events could be held there.”

Vester said right now, the facility is just in the planning stages. She said CTE Instructor Wes Shanks is in discussions with other Tennessee schools that have similar facilities to get a better idea about how to move forward.

Vester said while it will not happen overnight, the plans for a livestock barn at Upperman High School are official.

“We’re not on a timeline yet because we’re still in the planning phase,” Vester said. “The next step would be to choose a plan, like a  layout, that matches what we need and then of course we’re going to start to bring in an architecture and get cost estimates and bid out materials and labor and all those pieces of the puzzle.”