Tonganoxie USD 464 will be showcasing its new athletics wing on the Tonganoxie High School campus with an open house Monday.

Festivities will start at 4:30 p.m. that day. The open house coincides with the first day of the Tonganoxie Invitational Basketball tournament.

Doors will open at 4:30 p.m. and then youths can get photos with Kansas City Chiefs mascot KC Wolf and University of Kansas mascot Baby Jay starting at 5 p.m.

The THS pep band also will begin performing starting at 5 p.m.

At 5:15 p.m. the girls basketball team will begin warmups and then will play at 5:30 p.m. against Holton in the opening round of the tournament.

The THS cheerleaders will perform at halftime of the THS-Holton girls game.

About 5 minutes after the conclusion of the girls basketball game, a ceremony will begin. THS principal Cody Witte will give welcome remarks and then USD 464 Superintendent Loren Feldkamp will give remarks and introductions. He will introduce various representatives of district’s building team such as McCownGordon, DLR Group, Eskie and Associates, KCAV, Trane and more.

About 7:05 p.m. school board president Jim Bothwell give his remarks and then at 7:10 p.m. there will be photo opportunities with construction VIPs, school board and administration on the gymnasium floor.

Tonganoxie High students will then participate in a ribbon cutting ceremony in the final activity before the boys basketball game between THS and Holton. The teams will warm up about 7:35 p.m. and then player introductions will begin at 7:50 p.m.

At 7:55 p.m., the THS choir and alumni choir will perform the National Anthem, with the game to start shortly after that performance. THS vocal instructor Tom Gifford has invited alumni back to perform on that open house night.

Then at halftime of the boys game, there will be a raffle drawing and a performance from the Chieftains Stars, the THS dance team that recently placed fourth at state in Class 4A.

There also will be special promotions the day of the open house. Anyone wearing Tonganoxie gear will receive free admittance to the games. In addition, the first 1,000 Tonganoxie students, staff and patrons will receive a free Tonganoxie stocking cap. Those wearing THS gear also will be entered into a raffle for various prizes to be drawn Monday night.

THS student council members will hand out free bottled water, while Tonganoxie FFA chapter students will hand out free popcorn.

There also will be open houses for the new THS choir room and the media room and training room.

The gymnasium is the final phase of a campus overhaul made possible through a $54.1 million bond issue that passed in September 2019. The bond issue passed by 93 votes (1,759-1,666) and has funded the two-story academic learning center, renovation of the west campus that now is home to the USD 464 Administrative Center, a new THS wrestling room and in the new year, Tonganoxie Recreation Commission offices.

The new gymnasium is just east of the existing gymnasium on the THS campus.