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Shuffling of Students, School Addition Should Ease Crowding

Posted on: Monday, 1 August 2005, 12:01 CDT

BY Michelle Shaw

THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

SMITHFIELD A $20 million addition to Smithfield High School, along with some reshuffling of students, is expected to help alleviate crowding at four Isle of Wight County schools this fall.

The 160,000-square-foot addition at the high school in the northern section of the county includes a wing dedicated solely to the ninth grade removing those students from the rest of the school to help with crowding there. A new middle school for seventh- and eighth-graders will share common facilities with the high school, such as the auditorium, gymnasium and kitchen.

The former middle school building located elsewhere will now house grades four through six, leaving just kindergarten through third-graders at Hardy and Carrollton elementary schools, officials said.

The main goals of the Isle of Wight reorganization were to reduce crowding, provide space for future growth and save money.

We didnt have to purchase land, which was a great saving, said Michael McPherson , division superintendent.

Other school divisions in the state are considering similar reorganizations to relieve crowding, said Dan Timberlake , state assistant superintendent for finance.

Although the reshuffling may be a temporary fix, it did buy the growing county some time, said Peter Andreu , division project construction manager.

During the 2002-2003 school year, the division graduated more than 300 students . The next year , more than 350 new students were enrolled.

Although were not seeing what we would call rapid growth, said school spokeswoman Lynn Briggs , it is strong growth.

The transfer of some middle-schoolers to the high school will make room for more than 400 students at the old middle school building recently renamed Westside, its title prior to segregation.

Without this strategic move, Andreu said, the district might have to build a new wing on the high school and possibly two more schools in the next three to five years.

Now I can see only needing one school instead of two, he said. But then again, you never really know how were going to grow.

* Reach Michelle Shaw at (757) 222-5562 or michelle.shaw@pilot online.com.

Source: Virginian - Pilot

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