Scott City schools open with a 47,000-square-foot addition

Some classrooms weren't complete and a new gymnasium floor was barely ready to walk on, but officials in the Scott City School District say the students' return to school Wednesday went smoothly.

A 47,000- square-foot addition, which gave the district 20 new classrooms, a multipurpose room and a library, was among several changes the district made for the 2003-04 school year.

"I think kids were pretty overwhelmed by the new building. It was a fear of the unknown," said first-year elementary school principal Courtney Kern. "But it's really boosted morale and inspired teachers in other parts of the building to decorate more this year."

After several delays with materials over the summer, the floor in the new 8,000-square-foot multipurpose room received its final coat of varnish last Friday. It was just ready to be walked on the day before school started.

"I wish I'd had a camera to take pictures of the kids as they saw the new gym," said superintendent Diann Bradshaw. "Their eyes lit up, and they couldn't believe that this was where they were getting to have class."

In previous years, elementary students shared gym space with high school students in the district's main, unairconditioned gymnasium.

No more. Elementary gym teacher Sally O'Brien was thrilled with the new, air-conditioned multipurpose room. The space includes six basketball goals, locker rooms and a classroom.

"It's so much better than last year," she said. "Although, the classes are 20 minutes longer this year and the kids are worn out."

The district rearranged class schedules this year, bumping elementary gym time from 30 to 50 minutes by overlapping lunches and beginning school a few minutes earlier than last year.

O'Brien said she hadn't realized just how long the extra 20 minutes would seem. During the first part of her classes, she taught students a new game and then allowed them free time to play basketball, hula hoop and jump rope.

Glancing up at the bright lights and then down at the gleaming new floor, second-grader Jacob Petitt said the new multipurpose room looked pretty big to him.

"It's been my favorite part of the day," the 7-year-old said. "We've had fun."

As smoothly as the first day was, officials admit there were a few minor trouble areas. Adjusting to a new bell schedule led to a slight overlapping of the middle school and high school lunch periods.

"You can never really be prepared for the first day of school," middle school principal Paul Sharp said. "We just spent a lot of time trying to plan for all the contingencies, and I think it paid off today."

cclark@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 128