Strasburg-Franklin on track to open wings of new facility

  • By Adam Gingrich
  • March 19, 2010
  • 693
                        
0x4f30cc10The Strasburg-Franklin School District is completing construction of a $12.7 million school to house grades K-12. “We completed our K-3 (wing) several years back and this year, at Thanksgiving time, we moved into the wing that houses grades four and five,” explained Superintendent Gene Feucht. “Now we’re building what we call Phase II, which encompasses everything from grade six through grade 12.” Feucht came to Strasburg-Franklin three years ago as an interim superintendent and was offered the opportunity to stay on with the school district. Prior to his arrival, he said, the decision was made that it would be more cost-effective to build a new school versus putting money into renovations to keep the older building. The original Strasburg High School was built in 1935. Multiple additions have been made since that time. Funding for the new facility is a shared responsibility between the Ohio School Facilities Commission and the Strasburg-Franklin district. “We had to pass a bond issue to fund our portion,” said Feucht. Voters passed this bond issue approximately four years ago. Local funds accounted for approximately $421,000 of the project. 0x4f30cd00The superintendent said the key feature in the new school’s 36 classrooms is more current technology. “Every classroom will have access to SMART boards,” he said. These boards allow for more interactive classroom learning. The technology will play a role in programs such as Project Lead the Way, which Feucht explained is a statewide program that “stimulates a lot of creative thinking and a lot of thinking outside the box.” 0x4f30cda0In the Strasburg-Franklin district, Project Lead the Way is taught in grades six and seven. At this level, it is integrated across all areas, but focuses on the sciences, he said. The superintendent added that classes taught with Project Lead the Way concepts are focused around projects, such as building racers, which introduce the students to “a different type of thinking,” he explained. The program is not yet implemented at the high school level in the district, but Feucht commented, “What we’re looking at is partnering with some of the other school districts.” 0x4f30ce80He noted equipment for the program is very expensive and might not be feasible for a smaller district such as Strasburg-Franklin to pursue. 0x4f30d0c0In regard to the new school, “I think the teachers 0x4f30d1f0are very excited,” Feucht said. “Those who have been here for a long, long time and worked in these older facilities are very anxious to have some of the opportunities of working in a new facility.” He added that he has had many inquiries from teachers regarding moving dates, what can be moved from the old to the new building, the layout of their new classrooms and what materials will be provided. “We’ve even had the teachers involved in picking out the type of carpet they’re going to have in their rooms and have input on the painting,” the superintendent added. Three of the four walls in each classroom are painted off-white, but one is an accent wall, in a bright color of the teacher’s choosing. Feucht said this allows for creativity and individuality in each of the rooms. The current high school/middle school building will be leveled. The district is currently sending out bids for the demolition project. Feucht hopes to have the demolition completed by late July or early August. The remaining wings of the new school (grades six-12) will be open in August to welcome students at the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year. Plans are in the works to make use of the grounds where the current school stands. “They’re (the architectural team) thinking about taking pieces and parts of this old building, a cornerstone, or the archway of the old high school, and recreating them in a park setting,” he said. MKC Associates, Inc, of New Philadelphia, is the architecture firm that designed the new school. Regency Construction Services, of Lakewood, is managing construction. Feucht said, “We are on schedule…a lot of construction sites can’t say that.”


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