CONSTRUCTION WILL BE LEARNING EXPERIENCE AT FRUITLAND SCHOOL

~Correction: Photo cutline should read: A new math and science building, shown in an artist's rendering, will be built adjacent to Jackson High School. Construction could begin next spring. (COLOR)

JACKSON -- Students at the North Elementary School in Fruitland soon will be well versed in Construction 101.

The teachers and Principal David Gross know that construction of a nearly $1 million addition to the elementary school in the Jackson School District will be a major distraction.

That being the case, said Gross, they figured they might as well make it an educational distraction.

Students, he said, will be able to learn a little bit about construction and see construction equipment in action. "It is a neat situation," he said.

Gross said the construction work will be noisy at times and make school days more hectic. But he said staff and students will adjust to the environment.

Dr. Howard Jones, superintendent of the Jackson School District, said students are excited about the construction project.

"The teachers are committed to making it as much of a learning experience as possible," said Jones.

He said students likely will do drawing, writing and spelling assignments that revolve around the construction project.

School district officials broke ground Monday on the expansion project. Penzel Construction Co. is the contractor.

The project is part of a $7.8 million capital improvement program that includes a new south-side elementary school in Jackson and a math and science building on the high school campus.

Voters approved a bond issue in August to finance the construction work.

The contractor started moving dirt last Friday for a new parking area at North Elementary School. Construction work will continue throughout the school year.

The addition is slated to be completed by the start of school next fall.

Penzel Construction will build two kindergarten classrooms on the south end of the building, and six regular classrooms, an art and music room, and a computer lab on the north end.

The existing brick school was built in 1976. There are 146 students in the school in grades 1-5.

The school doesn't have room for kindergarten classes and can't accommodate all of the elementary students in the Fruitland area, Gross said. Those students have to be bused to the district's Jackson schools.

Jones said all three construction projects are needed to handle the district's ever-growing enrollment.

The district has more than 4,100 students, an almost 10 percent increase over the last two years. The Jackson district is one of the fastest growing in Southeast Missouri, Jones said.

School officials hope to break ground early next spring on a new math and science building and a new elementary school. Both projects are scheduled to be completed by the fall of 1998.

The math and science building will be a free-standing structure connected by a covered hallway to the high school.

If the old high school is torn down some day, a new high school could be attached to the math and science building, Jones said.

The math and science building will be constructed just south of the high school. To make room for the structure, a block of Madison Street will be closed.

The building will include several laboratories.

"It is going to be a state-of-the-art science building that will be the envy of most schools in Missouri," said Jones.

The south-side elementary school is slated to be built at Boehme Lane and Highway 25. Once opened, it will relieve overcrowding in the other elementary schools and allow the district to provide all-day kindergarten, Jones said.