Coppell High School Ninth Grade Campus Auditorium, better known as the dome, has been an iconic part of the campus with its circular shape, carpet ceiling and proscenium-style theater.
CHS9’s campus is one of the first facilities in Coppell ISD. Built in 1967, one side of the campus was the high school and the other side was the middle school. The campus was the former Coppell Middle School West until 2018, when it became the freshman center to accommodate the growing student population.
“Other than audio visual, projectors and sound systems, the bones of the auditorium are from the 1960s, and it feels that way, too,” assistant principal Nathan Harvey said.
Now, as part of Coppell ISD’s Bond Program from 2023, the dome has allocated a maximum of $6,250,396 for interior renovations.
“I love the dome, I love its history and I love all that it preserves,” Harvey said. “The cool part is the dome itself isn’t going away, it’s going to still look the same outside as you drive by, but on the inside it’s going to look entirely modern and more suitable for learning in 2026.”
The auditorium will have seating similar to an arena. The stage will be at the center and seating will be arranged around the stage. One side of the seating will be retractable to allow more freedom of space for a certain event or show.
The ceiling acoustics and insulation will be replaced. Stage lighting and sound will be over the stage mounted on a rack type system, similar to lighting at a concert.
“We’re always trying to be cutting edge and give our students the best 10 months we can, whether that’s in biology in our lab or in fine arts,” Harvey said. “We want them to feel that this was a meaningful year.”
The renovations do affect fine arts like the CHS9 theater department due to the limited space, as well as the change for the upcoming year.
”It will be an adjustment for directors, students and technicians as well because it’s going to be a brand new space,” CHS9 theater director Eugenia Montoya said. “When it comes to directing shows, instead of playing to one direction, they are going to have to play to all.”
There will be more freedom and variety of performances in a facility different than in any other in the district.
“We would have three different types of spaces available to the department: the auditorium and Black Box at CHS, as well as the arena here at CHS9,” Montoya said.
The dome is going to be more than just a performance space; it will be a place for meetings, professional learning events and guest speakers.
“We don’t want to spend money building a separate space just to host meetings,” CHS9 Principal Dr. Greg Axelson said. “By converting this space, we’re able to really save money, but still get more kinds of use out of the facility.”
Renovations begin March 14 through the end of July as the dome will be completed for the 2026-27 school year.
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