Ushering in a new era: New Springville High School opens to the public
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- Springville High School Principal Robert Fleming raises scissors above his head after cutting a ribbon and officially opening the new Springville High School building on Monday, May 18, 2026.
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- Springville community members pose for photos in the commons area of the new Springville High School building on Monday, May 18, 2026.
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- Springville community members and Springville High School students enter the newly constructed Springville High School for their first look at the building’s interior following a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new school Monday, May 18, 2026.
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- Shown is one of two gyms inside the new Springville High School building on Monday, May 18, 2026.
One of the many traditions inside the old Springville High School has to do with a large mural referred to as “the untouchable.”
Students are not allowed to touch the mural, and anyone who does has to get down and kiss it to avoid bad luck.
“That’s a big fan favorite,” said Springville 2026-27 senior class president Bridger Christensen.
As the final outgoing class for the new school graduated this week and the new school officially opened Monday, returning students are wondering what the future of Springville’s identity will look like in the new building.
Christensen said he’s unsure whether they can bring the old mural over but said he is looking forward to creating new traditions inside the new space.
“We get to create a new little culture, a new way of doing things in the new high school, compared to the old one,” he said. “We’re really excited. There’s going to be a lot of very different things, seeing as we have a much newer facility, a lot of different tools at our disposal.”
The community gathered for a school-opening ceremony Monday night, fitted with the National Anthem, choir performances and messages from school leaders. Following the ceremony, hundreds of people raced into the facility to catch a first glimpse.
Costing an estimated $177 million, the school was built directly north of the old school on a former horse pasture the school district purchased from the Gammell family.
Constructed in a similar footprint to the new Spanish Fork High School, the two-story building has two main wings and is connected by a commons area in the middle. The front entrance intentionally faces east toward the mountains.
It was built to better accommodate a student body that has grown to more than 1,600 students, according to Principal Robert Fleming. He said the 1,550-seat auditorium will accommodate nearly the entire student body, that there will be better facilities for science and technology, and that the building will have secure entrances to enhance security.
Fleming emphasized the facility will be just as much Springville High as the old one was. He said the students occupying it will create that identity — and that they will have more space to do so.
“There’s so many great things about this building,” Fleming said. ‘This commons area — we didn’t have any anything like this. That’s where kids can gather for lunch or for other activities. We’re planning to have dances there instead of just being in a gym for a dance. It’s going be super nice.”
Getting the building ready by May pushed the contractor and the operations team, according to Nebo Superintendent Rick Nielsen. In the last few days, students helped out by moving items into the new classrooms.
“It has been a crazy ride, and a lot of late nights, but we couldn’t have done it without the unity of an entire staff and faculty and community that’s jumped right in and actually made it go much more smoothly than I thought it was going to go,” Fleming said.
Springville High is ushering in a new era, and excitement mounts to see what it can become.
“I am so excited for next year,” Christensen said. “It’s going to be fun. There’s a lot more room for a lot more students, a lot more memories to be made.”
