R-8 holds ribbon-cutting, groundbreaking ceremonies for new classrooms, school

March 27, 2008 10:30 pm

— By Joe Hadsall
jhadsall@joplinglobe.com
It has been a long time since the Joplin R-8 School District held groundbreaking and ribbon-cutting ceremonies on the same day.
“You’d have to go back to the 1920s when this kind of day would occur,” Superintendent Jim Simpson said Thursday. “That’s the last time the district was on a progressive movement to build schools.”
A groundbreaking ceremony for South Middle School and a ribbon-cutting at Eastmorland Elementary School took place Thursday. The two projects will add more than 141,000 square feet of new classroom and school space.
South Middle School
Several future South students, including Emerson Elementary fifth-graders Tony Isley and Alex Cusick, joined dignitaries in turning earth on East 50th Street.
“That was awesome,” Tony said. “I can’t wait to go.”
When the building opens for the 2009-10 school year, the two youngsters will be among about 620 students who will attend.
“My sister said the old school is OK,” Alex said. “But she’s excited about the new school. It’ll have more room.”
South Middle School Principal Ron Mitchell said the school’s current sixth-graders are excited about having more elbow room.
“The seventh- and eighth-graders are upset they won’t be able to go,” he said. “But in a few months, we’ll have classrooms where we won’t bump into each other.”
Four classrooms at South now have 700 square feet each; the rest have 500 square feet, Mitchell said. The new building will have 900-square-foot classrooms, modern science and library rooms, a 700-seat auditorium and an expanded gymnasium.
The 127,500-square-foot school is part of a $57.3 million middle-school campaign authorized by voters in a bond issue last April.
R.E. Smith Construction Co. was awarded the construction contract on March 11. The company submitted the low bid of $18,140,000.
Members of Carpenters Local No. 311 picketed the site during the groundbreaking. The union takes issue with a subcontractor that is slated to do $300,000 worth of drywall and metal-stud installation.
Eastmorland
Meanwhile, at Eastmorland, fifth-grader Bailey Taylor said Thursday she is happy that first-graders have moved out of trailers and into new classrooms.
“They have more room now,” she said. “And they don’t have to walk outside when it’s cold.”
Bailey, with the help of other Eastmorland pupils, cut the ribbon to mark the completion of a 14,389-square-foot expansion.
Principal Lisa Orem said first-grade classes moved out of the trailers after spring break. Other new classrooms are being used for music, art and special services.
“We wanted to get the students out as soon as we could,” Orem said. “Next year, we’ll change the class wings around to utilize the new space better.”
The new classrooms are part of a $7 million effort to eliminate trailers at Eastmorland, McKinley and Stapleton schools. The work was financed from district savings.
Simpson said the expansions at McKinley and Stapleton will be ready by August, in time for the new school year.


Middle schools

Construction of South Middle School is part of a $57.3 million project to build two new middle schools and renovate a third.
Superintendent Jim Simpson said plans for the renovation of North Middle School should be released to contractors in early May, and the Board of Education should award a contract in June.
East Middle School, at Duquesne, is under construction.

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