Education column: Secondary schools undergo improvements

Further to recent reports, our secondary school sites have also been undergoing improvements during the summer months, thanks to the efforts of our operations department.

Anyone driving by Marshall Middle School will have noticed not only a great deal of construction on the north end of the campus, but a whole new building going up. It is Marshall’s new special education building. This badly needed addition will be a state-of-the-art facility. The architectural plan incorporates unique window designs, allowing for extensive natural lighting, much better to work in and contributing to considerable energy savings. The new building also contains a large kitchen area where students will learn practical life skills.

Marshall’s band and choir rooms were also gutted and completely remodeled to better serve the school’s award-winning music programs. Along with the extensive updating and remodeling of the school’s cafeteria and kitchens, the facilities will be in great shape to receive students when they return next month.

Overall, the projects at Yucca Middle School this summer involved standard maintenance activities. A problematic area in one of the parking lots was repaired; this patch had experienced settling over time and had begun to hold water, which eventually ruined the asphalt. One new addition to Yucca’s campus was a basketball court that was put in a few months ago. Operations staff members, during the course of checking school sites, have noted that the basketball court, happily, is being used day and night since completion.

The Clovis High School Freshman Academy has undergone some extensive work during the summer as well. School doors have been replaced, for added security, as well as having the eaves and trim painted in the new standardized complementary two-tone shades. The whole roof has been replaced along with the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning units. Over the summer the library was gutted. Carpeting was replaced, walls were painted and brand new shelving was added, something that has been needed for some time. Another new addition to the CHSFA library will be an enhanced sound system with wireless microphones that will shortly be installed at no cost to the district, thanks to a grant written last year. This, along with the screen and projector that will be mounted during the sound systems’ installation, will benefit CHSFA students and staff, all who frequently use this common area.

Clovis High School’s entire Rock Staubus complex, along with the cafeteria, got a much-needed new roof this summer. The lecture hall at CHS, also used by students across the district, got new carpeting and lighting. If you drive by CHS’ campus you might also notice the new fencing that is gradually being erected for increased security around the perimeter. This attractive fencing is an ongoing project involving students in the vocational education program that will continue through the coming school year.

Canadian stateswoman, Adrienne Clarkson stated, “Each of us is carving a stone, erecting a column, or cutting a piece of stained glass in the construction of something much bigger than ourselves.”

Reminds me of our operations department.

Cindy Kleyn-Kennedy is the Instructional Technology Coordinator for the Clovis Municipal Schools and can be reached at [email protected]