District unveils renovated middle schools
By Brian Flinchpaugh
Dedications at two renovated and renamed middle schools mark the closing phase of an effort to revitalize the Hazelwood School District.
A "grand re-opening" of Hazelwood East Middle School is set for 6:30 p.m. today (Wednesday). The district hosted a similar dedication Sept. 12 at Hazelwood Northeast Middle School.
Hazelwood East Middle, 1865 Dunn Road, is the former Kirby Middle School. It served as Hazelwood High School when it opened in 1954, then became Kirby Junior High School in 1965 and a middle school in 2002.
A bond issue voters approved in 2004 funded the renovations at both schools. The proposition also funded the construction of four new middle schools and freed up space for full-day kindergarten in the elementary schools.
The ceremonies at East Middle will be crowded if they are anything like those at Northwest Middle last week.
Hundreds of parents, students and patrons attended the ceremonies at Northwest, 1605 Shackelford Road in Florissant. The school formerly was known as Hazelwood Middle School.
Parent Germaine Jones looked around the bright, roomy and renovated library and was pleased.
"Oh, I like it," she said, gazing at the high ceiling and book-filled aisles. "They did a good job."
Her daughter, Ketorah, a sixth-grader attending the school this year, agreed.
"It's pretty," she said.
But the renovations at both schools amount to more than a few coats of fresh paint.
The schools now will provide a "world-class" educational environment for sixth- through eighth-graders, said Superintendent Chris Wright.
She said the schools offer as much new technology for students as any school in St. Louis County.
Along with an expanded library, there also were renovations to the main office and updated labs.
Wright noted that the opening of the middle schools means less crowding at Hazelwood Northeast - which has a current enrollment of 850 students, compared to 1,200 last year.
Reach Brian Flinchpaugh at bflinchpaugh@yourjournal.com. |
