It’s not technically a baby, but there is talk of sending out birth announcements anyway for the grand new addition to Salina South High School’s music department.

“We’ve already got fingerprints all over it, we’ve all touched it,” said senior Kelsey Foutch, as she and her classmates were looking at the new Yamaha piano, a “parlor grand,” which vocal music teacher Eddie Creer, Jr. explained is midway in size between a grand and a baby grand.

“I’ve never seen a brand new one before,” Foutch said. “Our school having one is such a big deal.”

The dark mirror finish reflected the class as Creer pulled the heavy padded cover off of the instrument, which was delivered Friday morning. It’s housed in a fenced-in area in the wings of the auditorium stage — a place specifically designed to hold it, but which had been used for general storage since the auditorium was built five years ago.

It will spend most of its time in that cage, Creer said, as a $40,000 piano isn’t something one uses for everyday practices and rehearsals.