PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Renovations at St. Petersburg High School are finally done.

School, district and city leaders cut the ribbon on the new multi-million dollar renovation project Monday afternoon.

$43.8 million in upgrades include a new courtyard, cafeteria, wider hallways, a new football field and classroom makeover. John Harrison sat in the same classrooms. Harrison graduated in 1956.

“Three years ago when they started this, St. Pete High looked like it did when I left it,” Harrison said. “When I started, St. Pete was the only high school in St. Pete.”

Harrison’s brothers, wife and their three children went to St. Petersburg High School. One of his grandchildren is a current cheerleader at the school.

“I think it’ll make us all proud students to go to St. Pete High and to be here and go here everyday,” Mary Williams said.

The school’s roots date back more than 100 years, 1888. It opened nearly 40 years later in 1926 as the first $1-million school in the nation. St. Petersburg High School is also on the National Registry of Historic Places.

“It really needed a lot of attention and TLC, which is got,” Harrison said.

The renovations allowed students, current and former, to honor the past, and celebrate the future.

“I think it’s a great inspiration, whether it’s athletics or academics, this place will turn you on,” Harrison said.

According to the media brief, the project’s goals included preserving and restoring the school’s original architecture and historic features while providing the latest technologies to enhance learning, space for students to gather socially and provide a safe learning environment.