KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Osceola County's first high school to open in nearly a decade is aiming for the future.
- Tohopekaliga High is Osceola's 1st high school in nearly 10 years
- Buildings were constructed to help students develop in STEAM fields
- School already has 2,300 students but can accommodate 3,000
Tohopekaliga High School was created to relieve overcrowding within the district. But it's also providing a different curriculum for students by exposing them to a number of different fields.
"I think it's amazing," said Nadia Santiago, who transferred from another high school to Toho High on Boggy Creek Road.
At the new campus, Santiago can be involved in theater, chorus, robotics and even ceramics. The way the buildings have been constructed is meant to help the students grow in STEAM: science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.
The Toho High offers career and technical pathways within five schools, which give students a chance to learn applied skills, knowledge and critical thinking necessary for their chosen careers:
- School of Arts
- School of Culinary Arts
- School of Engineering
- School of Health Sciences
- School of Information Technology
Toho High Principal David Phelps said the school was built to satisfy Osceola's growing population. But what he likes most is that the collaborative work spaces for students and teachers are huge.
"It really allows them to use that right brain... to create and to think creatively, in order for them to use that discipline of science, technology, engineering and math," he said.
For Santiago, a senior, the new school is not just a place where she's coming to learn, but she also considers it a second home.
"I love how the school is so united. Kids from different areas come to one school," she said. "It's like being in a family… We're all together, loving, caring and that includes the teachers and the staff."
The school has approximately 2,300 students now, but it was built to hold up to 3,000.