Mt. Vernon Schools Start Fresh
Posted on: Wednesday, 23 July 2008, 00:00 CDT
By JOHN MARTIN, Courier & Press staff writer 464-7594 or martinj@courierpress.com
MOUNT VERNON, Ind. - Two Mount Vernon elementary schools with roots in the 1950s will look a lot newer when school starts next month.
When Farmersville and West schools were built, "there weren't any computers or interactive boards," said Dave Frye, director of
buildings and grounds for the Metropolitan School District of Mount Vernon. "Back then, it was maybe an overhead projector, maybe a record player. That's how the schools were wired."
The two schools are being rewired to accommodate current technology.
And that's just the beginning.
Farmersville Elementary School is getting the most extensive face- lift. A new cafeteria is being added so children won't have to eat in the gymnasium anymore. There's a new library, too, with the old one set to become a special education classroom suite.
Farmersville also is getting a new front office area and upgrades such as energy-efficient windows.
And the school will have enough space to offer full-day kindergarten once Mount Vernon administrators believe they have enough state funding to do so.
West Elementary School also is adding a library and renovating its old one for special education use.
West is not adding as much space as Farmersville - additions at West were built in 1969 and 1976 - but the school is being modernized with technology and full-day kindergarten in mind.
Mount Vernon's school district is spending nearly $15 million on the projects, and six local contractors are divvying up the work.
Frye said both buildings will be complete enough to welcome children when school starts on Aug. 12, but some work will be ongoing until December.
Map - MARK COOMER
(c) 2008 Evansville Courier & Press. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
Source: Evansville Courier & Press
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