Atherton Hosts District Ribbon Cutting Event

Callie Thornton and Lucas Selch • January 16, 2026

Early in the 2023-24 School year, construction began on a 54 million dollar renovation of J.M. Atherton High School. Atherton has been a part of a multi-school renovation project throughout the district. Atherton now has a new wing, amphitheater, as well as updates to the Hvac, Plumbing, Electrical, and Fire Systems throughout the building, as well as updates to classrooms and auditoriums. Atherton is continuing to expand as a school and grow as a community.

As Atherton wrapped up construction on the new freshman wing, the district held the ribbon-cutting for Mr. Dixon’s brand-new art room. Many of Atherton’s staff members attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony, and some even had the opportunity to speak about the challenges Atherton faced while waiting for the new wing.

Dr. Fluhr, Principal of Atherton, spoke on the struggles the administration had while scheduling classes for teachers with shared classrooms and spaces.

“While we’ve been so excited to welcome this new growth to Atherton, it has been challenging to find instructional space that was really befitting for our staff,” said Fluhr.

Now that the new wing is officially open, Dr. Fluhr expressed her gratitude for those who helped make this project possible.

“This would not be possible without the incredible support of our Atherton staff, our students, of our families, and I’m so very thankful for this Atherton family that we have,” said Fluhr.

Construction is finally complete, and Atherton students have officially settled into their new classrooms, ready to start an exciting new chapter of learning.

Donate to The Aerial

Your donation will support the student journalists of Atherton High School. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

About the Contributors

Callie Thornton, Editor

Callie Thornton (12) is an editor and writer. During her first year, Thornton first thought of participating in the Aerial as a way to fill a class period, but contrary to previous intentions, realized that she had fallen in love with journalism. In her second year on the Aerial, Thornton is excited to be deeply involved in journalism again. She has hopes for more perspectives to come through the newsite, expanding outside of school to see more impacts in the community. Thornton looks forward to the new team taking the Aerial to the next level. At Atherton, Thornton participates in archery and track. Passionate about movies, film, and photography, Thornton hopes to go to college to pursue a career in film. Thornton’s top three movies are The Iron Claw, The Way Way Back, and Mid90s. In her free time, she enjoys painting, scrapbooking, listening to music, and spending time with her cat named Tom.

Lucas Selch, Photo Editor

Lucas Selch, a senior here at Atherton, is excited to get the word out about the Aerial and help it grow during his first year on staff. He plans on being a photo editor, photographer, and writer for our news. He is looking to be a photo journalist after high school, which makes him even more excited to be a part of the Aerial. Selch is also in the media arts pathway, which furthers this goal. Lucas is a very creative person, some of his biggest hobbies being music and photography. Outside of school, Selch is in two local bands, Gaia, and Sweet Easy Listening, where he plays the bass. He loves all types of rock music including punk, prog, and psyche. He has a love for Jimmy Hendrix, Pink Floyd, and occasionally Limp Bizkit. His favorite movie is 10 Things I Hate About You, being introduced to it by his girlfriend. At home, he lives with his parents, sister, two brothers, and his two huskies. Lucas plans on using his creative talents to help us expand, and is very excited for what’s to come.