"I'm a 1972 graduate of Vanguard High School and I've always said, Once a Knight, Always a Knight," Nancy Francis said.

When Nancy Francis heard about the open house at Vanguard, she says she jumped at the chance to see how the renovations had changed her Alma mater.  She brought along her yearbook, to compare the old and new vanguard.  She says for her, this was a chance to step back in time.

"We had a wonderful school spirit back then," Francis said.

But Francis says she also wanted to see if the changes to the school warranted the cost.  About $35 million were spent over the past two-and-a-half years to build three new buildings on campus and to update some others.

"We basically have a brand new campus here at Vanguard and as a result, a lot of people in the community have not had the opportunity to see it," Rick Lankford, principal at Vanguard, said.

The 1600 students can now enjoy a new student union, two new classroom wings and a new administration area.  Principal Lankford says the changes to Vanguard were worth it because students now have equipment, such as brand new computers and software, that they never had before.

And Francis says it's worth it because by keeping the school alive, the school spirit survives too.  In her case., it has for over 35 years.