District Office

What's New for the Fall?

by Tim Marshall, Superintendent

I usually take the opportunity in the August Update to review the work done over the summer in preparation of students arriving. This year is no exception, but some of those projects are just now getting underway.

First and foremost, our maintenance staff has really worked hard to make sure that our facilities are clean, safe, and attractive. Improvements have fallen into one of several categories: safety, protection of property, and improved learning opportunities. Excavation starts this week on the front and north side of the high school. You may recall that last summer, work was done on the south side of the building to fix water drainage problems. We will finish the second phase of that project this summer by improving foundation drainage in front of the school and channeling roof water away from the north side of the building. There may be some inconveniences for students as we start school, but the payoff should be ensuring that the building will be usable for many years to come.

Both parking lots got a facelift this summer. Cracks were repaired and a protective coating was added to the EMS parking lot to ensure that the surface would last longer. The high school got quite a bit more attention, as it was much more deteriorated. Many broken up areas were dug out and repaired and the entire lot received a 2 inch topcoat of asphalt.

The high school gym received a facelift. It has a new coat of paint and thanks to the work of Mr. Bedigrew and the site council, new championship boards were placed on the walls. The maintenance crew did the entire job themselves and it looks first rate. We’re anxious to add new recognitions to the walls as our students excel!

Technology improvements were again at the forefront of summer work. We added three new mobile computer labs this summer. That will improve student access, although one lab will basically be used to replace older computers that are at the end of their serviceability. 13 more classrooms will have a permanently mounted projector for computer use. In addition, 6 more classrooms will have an electronic interactive white board. A new piece of technology will be the addition of an Interactive Distance Learning classroom. Thanks to a grant from the Kansas Board of Regents, we will be able to communicate both audio and video with classrooms all over the state, country, and world. This year will be a pilot year with limited use, but we hope to be able to offer several new classes which we think will be much more effective than internet courses.

You’ll see lots of other changes as students return this month. Our crew hasn’t had much of a vacation, but we think you’ll find that their efforts have really paid off. Come by and look us over!