August 31, 2010
Team Efforts Help Some Franklin County Schools Open
Chambersburg, PA - Workers at two Franklin County high schools that are being renovated scrambled to have the buildings ready for the first day of school Monday.
Rebecca Erb, superintendent of Tuscarora School District, said employees district wide worked almost around the clock to have the James Buchanan High School ready for the first day. Meanwhile, workers installed sidewalks at Chambersburg Area Senior High School over the weekend for the first day of classes there.
The first day at Chambersburg was a beginning: A new school year for returning students and also a new era for a newly completed wing of the building with a new cafeteria, classrooms, administrative offices and a music and art wing. The new structure is part of a $73.8 million renovation and expansion of the senior high school that is expected to be completed in February.
At James Buchanan, Erb said teachers and administrators worked to do some final sprucing up of the high school before it opened for classes Monday, including some teachers pulling weeds and office staff using magnets to pick up bolts and other small metal objects from the parking lot. Custodians and other employees spent most of their time in recent days cleaning the building in preparation for the arrival of teachers and students, with some custodians working double shifts.
"I finally understand what the saying means, 'It takes a village,'" Erb said.
Last week, contractors worked to have the building's public address system and period bells working and Erb said the building's existing fire alarm system needed to be tweaked to work before building inspectors went through the facility on Saturday. Workers are now putting the finishing touches on the school's library, which is still closed. Erb said carpeting has been installed and it still needs two sky lights installed and to be painted.
"We're hoping to have the library finished for our September school board meeting," Erb said.
At Chambersburg Area Senior High School, about 1,800 students made their way into the remodeled facility via school buses, personal vehicles and being dropped off by parents.
Assistant Superintendent Eric Michael said the only major area of concern so far is congestion issues on the strip of McKinley Street directly across from the school and student parking. The lot only had one entrance and there's a crosswalk nearby.
For dismissal, the buses arrived at the high school in five minute "wave" intervals to pick up the students at two locations outside of the school. Assistant Principal Brad Ocker said traffic patterns were behind by about three minutes on the first day but that, overall, dismissal went smoothly.
Officers from Chambersburg Police Department were on hand to direct and monitor traffic on the first day and will be there the remainder of the week. Michael said they'll continue to monitor the stretch of road and make a determination about whether changes need to be made at a later date.
"A lot of times, students fix these things on their own within a week by figuring out where the best place to park is," Michael said.
By Keith Paradise Staff writer
Publicopinion.com
Article: Team efforts help some Franklin County schools open
Posted: 8/31/10