Cape schools' biggest goal is smooth building transition

Students, parents, educators and administrators in Cape Girardeau School District are bracing for one of the biggest changes ever to affect the district as one school closes and several others make transitions to new buildings next fall.

Making a smooth transition, a large concern for educators, is a top goal for every school in the district. With the changes less than a year away, parents and administrators are planning furiously to make that goal a reality. The next step will be when Parent Teacher Association presidents from each school sit down with faculty and district administrators in November to focus on curriculum, schedules and how to divide supplies among the schools.

Included in the transition are closing L.J. Schultz School, opening a new fifth- and sixth-grade center in the current junior high, opening a seventh- and eighth-grade center in the current high school and moving grades nine through 12 to the new high school on Silver Springs Road.

The biggest challenge expected to come out of the transition from elementary schools to a fifth- and sixth-grade center is not for the students who will leave for the new school but for those who will stay behind.

The fourth-graders, who would have had two more years to mature before taking on leadership roles, will now be thrust into the limelight as the leaders of clubs and bearers of more responsibility. Daily tasks like raising the flags, volunteering in the cafeteria and manning the safety patrol that were once the sixth-graders' duties will now be done by fourth-graders.

Rhonda Dunham, principal at Franklin Elementary, said the shift of balance that will take place in the school will require some adjusting but will have a positive effect on the students because students in all the schools will be closer to the same age.

"It's going to be sad to not have the fifth- and sixth-graders here," Dunham said. "But the third-graders, who will be fourth-graders next year, are excited to be the top dogs."

Students who are currently fifth-graders at Franklin say, although their new school will be big and intimidating, they are more excited about going to the new school than they are nervous.

"It seems really exciting because we'll be able to do much more," 10-year-old Sing-Sing Starrett said. "And we'll get to meet a lot of new people."

Students leaving Franklin say they are also excited because they are ready for a change. "After going to school here for seven years, I'm ready to start switching classes instead of sitting in the same class all day," said 11-year-old Ashley Erlbacher, who will be starting at the new junior high school as a seventh-grader next year.

Erlbacher said she is glad the transitions are taking place now while she will be a part of them. She feels separating the fifth and sixth grades from the rest of the elementary children is a good idea because the maturity level of the younger kids is very different from the older ones.

By being close with a group of peers, Dunham said, the students will be able to learn more social skills and how to deal with each other more than they were able to in the elementary school.

Concerned parents

Even though Dunham and the students are relaxed about the move, some parents are not sure what to think about it just yet.

Franklin School PTA president and mother of a fifth-grader, Tina Wright, said she has spoken with a few parents who feel the way she does: unsure. "I'm not sure if the fifth-graders are ready to move," she said. "It's really going to force them to grow up fast."

Wright, who also volunteers at the school, said she has watched the children grow for years, and there is a big change for kids in the summer between fifth and sixth grades which concerns her.

Another concern for Wright is not knowing what to expect for her daughter's first day of school at the new fifth- and sixth-grade center next year. She wants to know how the curriculum will be arranged and what schedule to expect, which is what PTA presidents are going to discuss with the school board and administrators in November.

Lee Gattis, principal at L.J. Schultz School, said the No. 1 goal for his school this year is to provide for a smooth transition to the new building for the students, staff and community.

Transitioning to a seventh- and eighth-grade center is not going to be as big a process for students as it will be for the teachers and the programing, he said, because if the school were to remain open the students would be moving on to another school anyway. Gattis said the main focus has been on preparing the teachers for the move.

Teachers from his school have already begun working closely with eighth-grade teachers to coordinate scheduling and create an effective middle-school atmosphere.

School culture

Students at the high school likely will adapt to the setting with ease as well, principal Michael Cowan said, but the biggest task will be bringing the old school culture to the new building.

The current school's walls hold memories, he said, which will be hard to find in a new building.

"With the incorporation of a new freshman class we are looking to also begin new traditions," he said. Since freshmen are going to be a part of the high school for the first time, a new curriculum is being worked on to include a lot more courses using technology, Cowan said.

"There has been an information explosion over the past several years," he said. "We are constantly looking for ways to integrate technology into instruction, and the new building will be able to support that."

Along with the shuffle of students to new buildings, several faculty and staff members will make moves.

Frank Ellis, principal at Alma Schrader Elementary, will become the principal of the new fifth- and sixth-grade center leaving an opening at the new elementary school. Superintendent Dan Steska said the school district is looking internally for a replacement for Ellis.

Gattis, the principal at L. J. Schultz, will take over as principal of the seventh- and eighth-grade junior high, while the current principal, Gerald Richards, is expected to retire at the end of the year.

hkronmueller@semissourian.com

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