Part of the new South Green Elementary School. The new school is two-stories with first and second on the first floor and third through fifth grade on the top floor. Kindergarten will remain in the existing building. This photo shows the "Discovery Hub," which will house the school's library and serve as a media center. Photo courtesy of South Green Elementary.
By MICHAEL CRIMMINS
Glasgow News 1
After many years of planning and construction the new South Green Elementary is now open with teachers, and the first through fifth grade students they bring along, getting acquainted with their new surroundings. Josh Turner, the principal of the new elementary school, said the first few days with the new school have gone smoothly with nothing but the usual complications that comes with moving to a new building.
William Thornbury, one of the five members of the Glasgow Independent Schools Board of Education, said at the Jan. 8 meeting that the new building was fantastic and something other schools could look to as a model when designing a new school.
“Nice is an understatement,” Thornberry said. “I told you I wanted it to look more like a Starbucks than a school and it really does. We want a new school for a new future and new education. Alliance has done everything they said they were going to do and more.”
“This is something we can all celebrate and it looks very, very nice. I hope it’s something we can put forth as the best part of our community,” he added.
The new building is 50,000 sq. ft. and has 21 classrooms across the two levels, each surrounding new “discovery zones,” which serve as “optimal cooperative learning” centers.
The Glasgow Independent School District went back to school on Thursday and Chad Muhlenkamp, superintendent of the district, said some teachers had begun moving into the new building those two days. Now, being the first full week back, Turner said all the first through fifth grade teachers had moved into their appropriate classrooms in the new elementary school.
Turner said the kindergarteners — while still being members of SGE — will remain in the existing building with the preschoolers, who will move from the Glasgow Preschool Academy beginning at the start of the next school year.
Muhlenkamp said the gasps from the students were audible as they were given a tour of the new SGE on Thursday. One student said the new elementary school “was the best Christmas present” they could have gotten. Turner echoed his remarks saying all the parties were excited to learn and work in the new facility.
“The students are universally excited to see the building and the staff are enjoying the classrooms,” Turner said. “It’s a blessing to our district. It’s going to be a great thing for our students and our district.”
Turner, before assuming the principal role, taught third and fourth grade at the existing building, which provided him a unique opportunity to compare the two facilities. According to Turner the lighting — both natural light and the varied LED lighting — stands out to him as does the flexibility of the furniture and the building itself, which offers plenty of large rooms capable of being repurposed if needed.
“One thing I love about the building is that there is a lot of flexible spaces so that over time as things in education shift and change we have the space to shift with it,” Turner said. “It’s set up like that. I asked for that, I don’t know if I’m the reason they did it, but I wanted a space that would be useful 30 years from now.”
Dustin Pate, a second grade reading teacher, who was one of the first teachers to make the move to the new SGE, said he is absolutely thrilled with the new space, specifically saying he enjoys the increased accessibility and proximity afforded to him and his colleagues.
“It has been fantastic,” Pate said. “I have pure excitement for this. We’ve been waiting for this for almost three years so as soon as we could come in I started setting up here.”
Tommy Gumm, board chair of Alliance Corporation, said the new building is mostly done save for some finishing touches like installation of the art room railing and some paint touch ups. Gumm said they are in the process of making a final punch list, which details items that need to be completed.
Public tours of the new building will likely be scheduled next week, Tara Martin, supervisor of instruction, said at Jan. 8 meeting.
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