All Salem R-80 schools will open three days later than scheduled due to construction at the middle school and high school, according to a release from Salem R-80 Superintendent Steve Carvajal sent Friday.
William Lynch Elementary, Salem Upper Elementary, Salem Middle School and Salem High School will begin classes Monday. None of the rural schools announced changes to their start dates.
“Our goal was obviously to start on Wednesday (Aug. 13), but due to some of the recent weather issues, we have no choice but to move open house back and delay starting school until Monday, Aug. 18,” said Carvajal.
“There are still some areas of construction that will not quite be finished until the middle of next week. We could have school but with the connectors not finished and the concrete that still has to be poured, there would be a liability and egress issue if not completed."
The open houses at William Lynch and Salem Upper Elementary will be as scheduled, but the open house at the middle school and high school has been moved to 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Friday.
Contractors will use the extra time to finish up and complete a number of projects, according to the release. Salem R-80 is in the finishing stages of a $7 million renovation project of the middle school and high school.
“The amount of work that has been completed is simply amazing, and we believe that you will be very impressed. We hope that everyone can make it out Friday night to see what has been done,” Carvajal said.
Bunker R-III Schools
As school begins Wednesday, elementary students will see many renovations in their building. Ice damage occurred during the winter months, and it has been repaired, according to John Eaton, superintendent.
Elementary hallway floor tiles and some classroom ceiling tiles were replaced, as well as all interior doors. Restrooms were also renovated. The kitchen is receiving a new cooler and freezer system and the sidewalk between the buildings was replaced. The high school building boiler has been replaced with a new hot water system.
The school has new teachers on staff for the 2014-15 school year, including Amber Bradford, fourth grade; Jeremy Peterson, P.E. and health, boys basketball coach; Tracy Edgar, high school math and cross country coach; Billy Burkeheimer and Lisa Mast, middle school teachers; and Keria Morton, K-12 counselor who replaces 14-year retiree Dora Yates. Melissa Nash will enter her second year as principal of the elementary school.
“We are looking forward to a great school year and are excited about working with our new staff and our veteran staff,” said Eaton.
Oak Hill R-I
Oak Hill R-I serves 115 students in grades K-8 with a tuition-based early childhood program.
Oak Hill has been awarded a Missouri Preschool Program grant that will fund an early childhood education program. The program will serve 10 students and will be financially supported with the grant money as well as student tuition. At this time, the class if full, however, parents interested in their child attending preschool can call and be placed on a waiting list.
Through funds received from a donation from Brewer Science of Rolla, and Walmart Distribution Center in St. James, the school is in the process of creating a technology center that offers the students access to the latest technology advancements in education. The new technology center will be equipped with sixteen new internet wired machines and a large interactive screen for full group demonstrations and lessons.
New staff joining for the school year include Jamin Bray, grades 5-8 Communication Arts; Lewis Leonard, paraprofessional; Randon Brown, Paraprofessional/Technology Coordinator; Stephanie Williams, bus driver.
Green Forest R-II
Some minor building updates were done over the summer months, including replacing windows in a few classrooms at Green Forest R-II. The school completed a server upgrade for the entire school and also purchased 22 new computers, according to superintendent Kevin Prugh. New teachers beginning this year include, Aibeen Holland, fifth grade; James Evans, sixth grade; Sarah Piatt, instructional aide; Leslie Welch, second grade; Vickie Washausen, part-time aide; and cook, Alta McCall. A full-time nurse, Christy Adamson, will also be on staff.
“We’re excited for the year to begin, the school is clean and ready to go,” said Prugh.
Dent-Phelps R-III
Students will have faster internet speeds, up to 20 Mbps fiber-optic internet connection, according to Superintendent Victoria Brooker. The new circuit will also enable an increase to 50 Mbps for state testing purposes.
Other changes and purchases include a new bus and supplies for a safe room on the side of the transportation shed. The construction on the safe room is under way.
New teachers include Katie Wingenbach, art, who will split time between R-III and R-IV; Melissa Farrar, third grade; Daphne Owen, kitchen; and Jodie Kimrey, paraprofessional.
North Wood R-IV
North Wood R-IV will welcome three new staff members as students return this week, including Sheila Packard, Speech Language Pathologist; Alaena Tyler, Special Education; and Amanda Fuller, second grade. Over the summer, the district purchased 10 new laptops for the middle school, according to Karla Tiefenthaler, superintendent.
The roof of the Davida Welch Early Childhood Center will be replaced soon.
North Wood is part of a 12-month grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health to support the North Wood Wellness Initiative. The district will work with Melissa Dubois, district wellness coordinator, to implement this grant and improve the health of students. The district will hold monthly sessions for parents with topics such as nutrition, homework help, intervention strategies, and more.
Middle school mathematics teacher, JC Flores said, “We look forward to a productive and successful year as we transition to Missouri Learning Standards. We are excited about using more data-driven decisions to guide our curriculum and instruction to improve student learning.”
William Lynch Elementary
A restructuring of classes in the R-80 district will find some students at a new school for the 2014-2015 school year.
William Lynch Elementary will house pre-school through first grade.
The school has added a second preschool class which made it possible for 40 more three and four-year-olds to receive services through the program.
“We have worked hard over the summer to refurbish the inside of our building to make a clean, pleasant environment for all of our students,” said Kriste Crocker, principal.
New to the staff is Branden Piatt and Micah Adams, first grade, and Kendra Crocker, district speech team. Carolyn Curley moved to the preschool classroom, and Krista Hair joined the kindergarten team. Elementary students will have a “jungle theme” to celebrate the beginning of school.
The PBS team is looking forward to a year of being “wild about safe, respectful learners.”
Salem Upper Elementary
Salem Upper Elementary will house second through fifth grade classes.
“We are excited to have the second grade team on board at Salem Upper Elementary. The anticipation of the school year is building,” said Melanie Wisdom, principal.
Roof work was done, including patching bad areas and applying a new roofing material, called white knight, which was applied by Superintendent Steve Carvajal and other Salem R-80 crew after they were trained by a company representative. The process extended the roof warranty for an additional 10 years.
Salem Middle School
The Salem Middle School, formerly Salem Junior High, will house grades sixth through eighth after a major renovation this summer. Some of the highlights of the newly remodeled middle school include new cafeteria and kitchen, new restrooms, remodeled hallways, and a remodeled library with two computer labs. In addition to new paint and tile, a new office complex has been added, and two classrooms that have been converted to music rooms. With the exception of Agricultural Science classes, students will not be going outside to get to any class.
Scott Roberts, new middle school principal, voiced his excitement for the return of students, “I am most excited about the start of this school year. After 10 years as a high school administrator, not only do I get an opportunity to be a principal, but we are in a completely remodeled and updated facility. Our students are going to love the new look to their school.”
Salem High School
The high school will house ninth through 12th grade classes.
“The two things I’m most excited about are the new/remodeled restrooms and the additions to the high school library,” said John Smith, principal. “Having great facilities changes the atmosphere of the building. It was exciting to watch the process from day one and I am ready for the beginning of the school year.”
As part of the $7 million renovation project, the high school had all interior doors replaced, new lighting throughout, eight new classrooms, offices for the coaches next to the gymnasium, a concession stand for the gym connected to the high school cafeteria, new water fountains, and administrative offices and entries, just to name a few.
For more information on the renovations at Salem R-80, see the Aug. 5 edition of The Salem News and a story, photos and video at thesalemnewsonline.com.
