The Eighth Wonder of the School District

For as long as I can remember, there were seven high schools in OPS. For me, Central was the best high school out of the options, but it is all the way across town. I have two houses: one on 144th and Ida and the other on 168th and Fort. My “home” high school is Burke, which is a solid ten minutes away.
But recently there was talk about an eighth high school. My mom was surprised by how close it was to her house. For the longest time, I could not wrap my head around the district wanting to build a school right on the edge of city limits. Millard North is further east. Then, my mom and I decided to walk around Waterford lake, then look for houses that would better fit the four of us than the cozy Celebrity Home we currently live in.
The neighborhood and the lake weren’t far away from where my mom currently lives; they were only a couple blocks Northwest. After looking at three houses in a neighborhood that I think might even be in Bennington, we drove out only to find a fenced-in area with a big, familiar-looking poster across the street. The poster read:
Site of New OPS High School
This is it, we thought. Literally three minutes from our house is the construction of what would be another Burke. Or another Central? Maybe it would be more like Benson, or North. I wondered what it would be called. What would be its school colors? What about their mascot? The neighborhoods that we were driving out of would be packed? I’m sure the 40 lots available would be filled in no time and the values of the houses would skyrocket.
Finally, I wonder how many people would transfer from their high schools or graduate from middle schools from places such as Buffett or Davis to attend this school that is so much closer to home. Would this attract people from Elkhorn or Bennington schools for the same reason? Would my possible soon-to-be niece from North Carolina attend this school? Even my mom was talking about that if only we were born just a few years later, we could go here. Also, I’m sure that this high school would be Omaha Public School’s most modern creation. I’m not exactly sure what it would be like, but as long as I got my OPS yellow visitor pass, I’m almost certain I could take a stroll into this new building, inspire some kids, make some new teacher friends, and see what construction workers came up with.
“Surprise. I don’t know anyone here, but would you mind letting me have five minutes to see this new-fangled building?” -Heidi Heyden 2021.