West Memphis a district-in-progress as new year begins

West Memphis a district-in-progress as new year begins

Schools undergoing expansion, construction all over town

West Memphis School District It was the usual start to a new school year Monday for the West Memphis School District.

Parents of kindergartners had to deal with the reluctance and crying dropping their kids off at their new schools.

Teachers welcomed each student with a smile and a hug.

But signs of progress also met each student and parent as they made their entrances on Monday. Four West Memphis elementary schools are undergoing construction for expansion while Bragg Elementary is watching a whole new school go up in its own backyard.

Plus, the Academies of West Memphis is undergoing an electrical upgrade.

All of this made for different routines for the students entering each building. At Weaver, the local police department was helpful in redirecting traffic in the morning while teachers and administrators pointed the way for new entrances.

Weaver principal Shelia Grissom moved the entrance to her school to the west end of campus, going one way on Weaver Ext.

'So far the transition has been smooth for drop-off, but I suspect it will take a little time for everyone to get into the swing of it,' said Grissom. 'We're excited about the new facelift Weaver will be getting.'

Weaver will be getting two new classrooms for art and music, along with expansion in the kitchen area.

Also, the school's main office will be moved with a closed-in system.

At Richland and Faulk, brand new cafeterias will open in just a few days and Maddux will also get an interior renovation that includes a new gymnasium.

Richland will also be getting new art and music classrooms.

'We're going through some growing pains right now,' said superintendent Jon Collins. 'We're asking our parents to be patient with us because the end result for next year is going to be beautiful. It'll be organized chaos at its best.

But we have to begin with the end in mind.'

Traffic flow and entrance areas will take some help from the police and the West Memphis School District's maintenance supervisor, Clint Byard.

'If we can survive through this year we're going to have a total upgrade across the district in our elementary schools,' Collins added. 'It should be phenomenal.'

All the expansions this year are part of Phase I of a three-phase project of renovations and new building projects for the school district.

Phase two will include merging L.R. Jackson with Wonder Elementary.

'In Phase III we will start tackling some of the issues with our junior highs,' Collins stated. 'We don't know yet if they will be new buildings or renovations.'

By Billy Woods