By JOANIE BAKER HENDRICKS, The Daily News, jhendricks@bgdailynews.com/783-3234

More than 1,200 students know they will be walking through the doors of South Warren Middle and High School next year, but they don’t know what they’ll see once they come through.

Currently, 30-foot cathedral ceilings and hallways as wide as city streets are quietly awaiting the first echoes of students. And as workers begin lining those hallways with lockers and painting some of the classroom walls for the school to open in the fall, officials said they can hardly wait to begin what will soon become the new “community school.”

South Warren Middle School Principal Eddy Bushelman looked out the windows Thursday of the middle school library, envisioning the athletic fields coming up from the fields just outside.

“This is going to be so pretty at night when it’s all lit up with ball fields,” Bushelman said.

The principal said the school will build a family and community loyalty as students will grow from seventh to 12th grade in the building.

The 330,000-square-foot school will be the largest school building in the state. But its mere size - which would require a 2-mile rope to wrap around just the building - is only one of its impressive qualities. The entire facility sits on 88 acres and carries a $68 million price tag for the building, greenhouse and athletic fields/buildings.

South Warren has gained national recognition for becoming the largest building constructed of insulated concrete forms in the country. The walls are made of two sheets of insulating Styrofoam filled with about 8 inches of concrete. The method of insulation is reported to drastically reduce heating and cooling energy use and has been used in other Warren County schools.

More than a mile of these walls separates the far high school entrance from the far middle school entrance of the boomerang-shaped facility. The crux of the two wings is shared by a giant concrete amphitheater, which is on its way to becoming the largest school auditorium in the area with more than 750 seats.

Students from the different schools will not be able to access opposing wings without an adult, according to Bushelman and South Warren High School Principal Terry Cook. In fact, other than the auditorium, the two wings are connected only by a shared kitchen that has separate serving areas and “cafetoriums” on either side.

The facility continues to expand with the middle school wing facing Rich Pond Road and the high school wing facing Nashville Road. Already, mahogany cabinets with glass fronts are lining the state-of-the-art science classrooms - decked out with the newest experiment tables and equipment.

The libraries are built like giant fish tanks with midsized windows dappling the walls on the first and second floors to allow passers-by to see “the learning taking place.”

Architect Kenny Stanfield, with Sherman Carter and Barnhart, said the library/media centers were designed to provide a “Barnes & Noble” atmosphere that gives students a comfortable place to engage.

Hundreds of classrooms showcase giant windows that flood the learning spaces with natural light. A future courtyard can be seen from some of the windowed hallways along the building.

Many beams are still exposed as workers continue welding and wiring throughout the building, but in the middle school gymnasium, six basketball goals have been installed and await their first three-point shots.

Both principals agreed that the “Great Halls” in the central area of each wing add a dramatic flair to the building; they have giant entryways and a balcony overlooking two staircases that merge at a landing.

Interim Superintendent Tim Murley provided a tour for visiting German educators Monday, and said he enjoys seeing the advancements each time he visits.

“Every time I come out here, there’s so many changes,” he said. “This place is going to be incredible.”

Some of the hallways are lined with artistic brickwork that extends to both wings. Bushelman said it is the connection of the two schools that he likes the best about the facility.

“This provides so many opportunities, like when students who take algebra (in middle school), ordinarily they would have to (commute) to the high school,” he said. “And I think there will be a sense of unity and family. Think of a Friday night football game, as a middle school student you might not normally go to the game, but here, they just might.”

The school will offer everything but varsity football its initial year because of a scheduling conflict with the Kentucky High School Athletic Association. But Cook said at least one junior varsity game will be played on a Friday night next year.

The high school principal said he thinks the unified building will allow for a smoother transition from middle to high school for South Warren students.

Both principals will be meeting with students in coming weeks to organize committees for choosing the school colors and mascot.

“It’s exciting being the first classes in the new school, and choosing the mascot and being a part of starting new traditions from the start,” Bushelman said. “That’s what would excite me the most.”

The principals said they are also excited about the high-tech offerings the school will boast; the school eventually will go wireless and offer a number of laptops to students.

And while students anxiously wait to see what’s growing behind the large doors of the school, the principals said they are working on Web sites that show construction update photos and give insight as to what students have to look forward to. The site has a countdown until opening day, and can be seen at www.warren.kyschools.us/~southwarrenhighschool. Cook has also created a Twitter page at www.twitter.com/southwarrenhigh and said he is working on a Facebook page as well.

“I think many of the students are already excited about coming over here,” Bushelman said.