Folks with ties to Natrona County High School have a chance to make their mark on a piece of history as the school's renovation draws to a close.

The last beam that will be placed in the school's new construction is outside the main office, covered in signatures of those with fond memories of NCHS. And there's still time to sign.

"Anybody with deep Natrona roots who bleeds orange and black and wants to be a part of history can sign the beam," says Principal Shannon Harris.

Originally, signatures had to be on the beam before Friday. But Harris says now, folks have until Friday, Feb. 3.

The beam will be placed during a "topping out" party, which Harris says will likely be set for the second or third week of February.

Topping out ceremonies can be traced back to an ancient Scandinavian rite of putting a tree atop a new building. They were long an important part of timber frame building in Europe before migrating to the Americas.

So in February, likely during lunchtime around 11:15 a.m., the beam will be flown up with a tree decked out in orange and black atop the beam. It'll end up above classrooms in the northwest corner of phase six, where the old Vo-Ag wing stood.

Harris says while traditional topping out ceremonies involve food and beer, the party at NCHS will probably be more along the lines of cookies and hot chocolate.

 

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