Central Junior High students will see many changes today after renovations

New features for Cape Girardeau Central Junior High's first day of classes will be unveiled today to about 600 students.

Several areas of the junior high have been updated, principal Carla Fee said.

The upgrade was funded by Proposition 1, part of the $20 million bond issue passed in April 2015 for several capital projects in the district.

About $10.3 million went toward the upgrades, said Dana Saverino, communications director for the district.

The new main entrance faces Whitener Street, and visitors must be buzzed in, Fee said.

The new entrance to Central Junior High School is seen Wednesday in Cape Girardeau.Fred Lynch

Staff offices have been redone as well, Fee said, walking over a giant orange paw print, signifying the school's tiger mascot, embedded in the floor.

"Our new offices are a little bigger now, but the main difference is, we're all together," Fee said.

In previous years, the counselor was in another section apart from the social worker, and the school resource officer was upstairs, Fee said. The new arrangement should ease collaboration among staff, she said.

The old offices now are a teacher workroom and nurse's station, and the small practice gymnasium is set up to handle smaller events, Fee said.

The band area also has been revamped.

The new small gymnasium at Central Junior High School is seen Wednesday in Cape Girardeau.Fred Lynch

Michael Harrer, assistant band director, said he and his colleagues have been looking forward to this for a long time.

"This has changed quite a bit," Harrer said of the band orchestra room. The risers have been removed, and new flooring and sound panels were installed.

"Leveling the floors allows us to be a lot more flexible with seating," Harrer said, "and it allows us to move percussion and other heavy instruments in and out much more easily."

Harrer said most of the time, performances are held on flat surfaces, such as in an auditorium or gym, "and we want to practice the way we'll perform."

Former practice rooms off the main room have been converted from tiny "cubbies" to a more efficient use of the space, Fee said.

From the music wing, it's a short walk to an area once used for athletic offices and storage -- that is, until the new gym was built, and athletic offices moved to it, Fee said.

The entire area under the old gym was torn out and rebuilt into a bright, functional area that will be safer and easier for students to navigate, Fee said.

Bathrooms were added; no bathrooms previously existed in that area, Fee said.

A row of new, bright orange lockers line the wall opposite the bathrooms, and new science classrooms fill out the space.

One new science room has bright blue walls, a window and tables for hands-on experiments.

Security has improved in the area as well.

Security cameras were added, and long sight lines will allow teachers to monitor the hallway more effectively.

The Fieldhouse lobby has been upgraded with new, larger bathrooms for visitor use and a new floor and ceiling.

Inside the restrooms, a strip of orange subway tile lines each dark-gray wall, and expanded facilities should make visitors feel more welcome, Fee said.

Fee said a lot of the added features were to make the building comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

"It was a very old building," she said, constructed in the early 1950s.

The front entrance has a ramp now, and all bathrooms meet ADA standards, Fee said.

Orientation was held last week on Wednesday and Thursday, Fee said.

"We always encourage families to come in two or three times if they'd like, just so the students get a feel for where they're going," Fee said.

"We always have a lot of people come in on these last few days," she added.

Parents are encouraged to use the same drop-off points as last year, Fee said.

Morning buses let out at the cafeteria, Fee said, and afternoon buses will pick up in the front of the building.

"We're asking parents to drop off in front in the morning, then in the afternoon pick up at the cafeteria," Fee said. "That's what they were used to last year, so that's not a change."

Morning dropoff also is available at the Caruthers Street door, Fee said.

"Since I came here five years ago, we've had some sort of construction going on," Fee said. "This should be the end of it. We're very excited. For a junior high, we have amazing facilities."

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

Pertinent address:

1910 Whitener St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.