BLOOMINGTON -- Bloomington High School's current building has turned 50 years old, but ongoing renovations, technological innovations and a vital spirit as a learning community are what keep the institution young at heart, say the people who work there.

When Bloomington High School opened in 1959 as a state-of-the-art building at 1202 Locust St., there were no girls' athletic teams, no computers, too little greenery and few student parking spaces. Over the last half century, all of that - and more - has changed.

Last year, BHS was named one of the best high schools in the country by U.S. News and World Report. This year it welcomed about 1,500 students into a revamped $2.5 million cafeteria, the latest project in a multiyear, $25 million effort to renovate BHS and other schools across the district.

Rich Gordon, who has taught at BHS for 31 years, almost laughs out loud when he recalls being asked to teach a computer class a quarter century ago.

"I thought computers were a passing fancy," said the business teacher who now has 25 years of computer classes under his belt.

Few people realize what a leader in technology BHS is, he said, noting it offered the first computer class in a downstate high school.

"It's a highlight how the school has advanced technology," he said.

That continues today. Teaching tools including Smart boards, which combine the functions of a traditional blackboard and wall-mounted computer screen, and the district's new Ilini Data system is collecting student information to help teachers.

This is the eighth building to house the high school for the 152-year-old Bloomington District 87. Its success, like that of its predecessors, lies in the people in it, Gordon said.

For Gordon, former Principal Bob Bryant is noteworthy for leading the school during a turbulent time when students were "anti-everything."

Riot police were called in 1970 where racial tensions were high and fights broke out. To ease tensions, Bryant worked with a committee of black and white parents to improve conditions.

John Szabo, the school's athletic director, said that while the BHS doesn't have a lot of space for athletic activities, it makes good use of what it has.

Some sport fields were lost when a new Bloomington Junior High School and more parking were built on the campus. Still, sports facilities are being rejuvenated from the inside out, he said.

There were no girls' athletics programs when the school opened 50 years ago, but now there are 10 boys' teams and 11 girls' teams, including cheerleading, Szabo said.

Air conditioning is an innovation at the school that English teacher Elizabeth O'Rourke appreciates. The latest phase was completed in 2006-07.

"It improved teaching and learning immensely," she said.

After 26 years, she has strong memories of her sweltering, second-story classroom. The windows had no screens, opening them meant battling bugs.

"It was beastly hot the first couple of months of school," she said.

She misses some traditions, such as outdoor graduations at the football field across Locust Street from the school. She found the wave of purple-gowned graduates rising over the hill to be "breathtaking."

The best parts of the school are not physical, she said. "It's what you feel when you are a member of this learning community."

Superintendent Bob Nielsen said ongoing renovations and teaching innovations give students a sense of pride knowing they are respected by the district.

Bloomington architect Russel Francois, who designed the latest renovations, said it's refreshing that the school still lives with so much enthusiasm on its 50th birthday.

He takes pride in seeing that the good "bones" created by Bloomington architect Gene Asbury half a century ago remain strong today.

The crisp International-Style design has only been enhanced in recent years by adding greenery, he said. The trees and landscaping add a "warm fuzzy feeling."

When Francois first started the redesign, he took photos of what he saw as ugly things at the school, including a chain link fence topped with barbed wire, antiquated pink and blue bathrooms, too much pavement around the building and the lack of trees. Now all those things have changed.

"It's so wonderful that with some help, a building can live again," he said. "This building is a healthy 50-year-old; I want it to be a healthy 100-year-old."

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Anniversary celebration

What: Bloomington High School open house

Why: To showcase the latest round of renovations and celebrate the building's 50th birthday

When: 2 to 4 p.m. Sept. 27

Where: BHS, 1202 E. Locust St.

BHS milestones

Bloomington High School has had eight addresses since the first building was constructed in 1857 at Lee and Oak streets for $30,000. Timeline shows other milestone moments in the school's history since it moved to its current location.

1959: The latest site for BHS was built for $3 million at Locust Street and Towanda Avenue.

1966: Quite controversial at the time, a proposal to allow pregnant girls, married or unmarried, to continue attending BHS was passed unanimously and without discussion by the District 87 school board.

1968: BHS adapts a split-shift plan to relieve overcrowding, with 986 juniors and seniors attending school in the morning and 1,050 freshmen and sophomores in the afternoon.

1969: A $522,000 Area Vocational Center opens at BHS.

1970: A $3.1 million BHS expansion and remodeling project is completed.

1970: Racial tension grows, marked by about 60 black students boycotting classes and asking for changes, including more black teachers and a black studies program. In May, riot police respond when fighting between 70-75 students erupts.

1990: Bloomington Junior High School opens nearby at Empire Street and Colton Avenue.

2006: A multiyear renovation program to modernize BHS begins.

2007: District 87 celebrates its sesquicentennial.

2008: BHS is named one of the best high schools in the country by U.S. News & World Report, based on an analysis of data from more than 21,000 high schools in 48 states.

2009: The current BHS celebrates its 50th birthday.

Source: Bloomington District 87