NEW SCHOOLS MEAN HECTIC STARTUP PACE

The start of the new school year is particularly hectic this year, thanks to all the construction activity. As happens with so many projects, some of the construction and renovation projects are running a little behind. As a result, the Cape Girardeau School District and the new Notre Dame Regional High School had to delay the start of classes to allow for finishing touches.

For parents, changes in school schedules can be a bit of a problem, particularly since working parents must make new arrangements and new schedules of their own. But this year's inconvenience is more than offset by the fact that schools in our community are growing, and they are being improved on a large scale.

In the Cape Girardeau district, renovations at Jefferson Elementary School were the reason for delays. The school is getting new heating and air conditioning systems, which means the hot days of late summer and early spring should no longer be factor in classrooms there. The junior high school building also has seen major improvements this summer, and that work is on schedule.

The new Notre Dame facility near the western edge of Cape Girardeau is just about ready to open, but it too delayed the start of classes a couple of days to allow for some finishing touches. This new school serves several counties in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois, and it will allow for anticipated growth in enrollment.

Nearby is the Eagle Ridge Christian School, which also has a new building on Route K on the western edge of the city. This school's enrollment has grown steadily, and the new building has helped meet the demand. The school offers instruction through the 12th grade.

In Jackson, where opening new schools has almost become an annual event, a new elementary school and a state-of-the-art math and science building for high school students are new this fall. Open houses to thank students, parents and community supporters are planned at the new schools. Punch, cookies and a tour will be offered from 2 to 5 p.m. Aug. 30 at the new South Elementary School and from 2 to 5 p.m. Sept. 13 at the new Science and Math Building.

And there's more. Several more projects, including a new vocational-technical school and a new elementary school, are in the works for the Cape Girardeau district. Recently, there have been discussions about starting a Lutheran high school here, possibly utilizing the former Notre Dame High School building. Jackson continues to prepare for growth in that district.

The minor delays associated with the start of school this year are a small price to pay for first-rate school facilities that are being developed all around us. The beneficiaries will be the students.