New Frazier education center awaits middle, elementary school students
Amanda Steen | Herald-Standard
Amanda Steen | Herald-Standard Superintendent Bill Henderson speaks about the benefits of the newly constructed education center for Frazier middle and elementary school students. The school will open on Sept. 8.
Pictured above is the exterior of the newly constructed education center for Frazier middle and elementary school students. While the building houses the two age groups, it features separate entrances and classroom areas, as well as two cafeterias, gymnasiums and band rooms.
The front office and reception area is pictured at the newly constructed Frazier Middle/Elementary School. School will open on Sept. 8, which is later than usual for all students, to allow for the completion of a demolition and parking-lot paving project.
A laboratory room is pictured at the newly constructed Frazier Middle/Elementary School. The school will open on Sept. 8.
Superintendent Bill Henderson speaks about the amenities in the middle school gym at the newly constructed Frazier Middle/Elementary School. The gym includes a stage area where student performances can be held.
In this file photo, a hallway is pictured at the newly constructed Frazier Middle/Elementary School. The school, which has been named the Frederick L. Smeigh Education Center, opened in September 2015.
The new Project Lead the Way (PLTW) room is pictured at the newly constructed Frazier Middle/Elementary School. The district is in its third year of involvement with the PLTW program, an Indianapolis nonprofit that plans STEM-based curricula for elementary, middle and high schools.
A classroom is pictured at the newly constructed Frazier Middle/Elementary School. Teachers have been working throughout the summer to ensure that the learning spaces are as friendly as possible for students, according to Superintendent Bill Henderson.
A new library is pictured at the newly constructed Frazier Middle/Elementary School. The school will open on Sept. 8.
PERRYOPOLIS — For Frazier students, school will be off to a late start this year to allow for the completion of a demolition and paving project.
But the slight inconvenience may be well worth it, as elementary and middle school-goers carrying new lunch boxes and backpacks will open the doors to a brand-new, technologically-savvy education center on Sept. 8.
“I think everybody is excited,” said Superintendent Bill Henderson. “The kids are excited, the faculty is excited, the staff’s excited. I think it’s going to be a nice, fresh start for the district … a new era for the Frazier School District. Something that is hopefully going to carry on the tradition of the Frazier School District.”
The demolition of Perry Elementary and the parking-lot paving project is the final step on the checklist before students, teachers and administrators can benefit from a newly constructed, $23.3 million middle-elementary school complex.
“We want to make sure all the parking and traffic flow is done right and that there are no interruptions, no obstacles for anybody,” Henderson said. “Perry is still a big pile of rubble.”
The construction project broke ground nearly two years ago in an effort to give elementary and middle school students and teachers an updated, 21st-century facility.
Perry and Central elementary schools were originally constructed in 1973, and 1971, respectively.
“Central is an older school, Perry is an older school, and obviously, they had some issues,” Henderson said. “There was concern about the age of the buildings.”
According to Henderson, students and teachers experienced air circulation problems in the gymnasium at Perry Elementary last year, which led to the district closing the gym.
The former middle school, which is attached to the high school, lacked central air-conditioning, forcing students and teachers in third-floor classrooms to endure, at times, 90-degree heat during class lectures.
“It got hot, especially on the third floor,” Henderson said. “Imagine trying to concentrate sitting there in 100 degrees of heat. They’ll have air this year in the new building, which they’re not used to having.”
He said the board considered renovating buildings instead of building new; however, building the new structure was the ultimate decision.
“It was definitely overdue,” Henderson said. “I think financially, it made more sense to build one building for both schools, and it was financially more feasible to do it in one area. Something needed to be done. I give the board a lot of credit for pushing the project. A lot of people don’t want their taxes going up, but it was past due.”
An upgraded facility
While both elementary and middle school students will be hearing class lectures, taking tests and completing science experiments in the same building, the two age groups will be separated from one another.
The building houses separate classroom spaces and labs, as well as two entrances, two cafeterias, two gymnasiums and two band rooms.
One shared space, however, will be the new art room.
Henderson said this will be the first time that elementary students will be exposed to an actual art class, as opposed to the occasional art project, or the artist-in-residency program in their regular classrooms.
“It’s going to be great for the kids, without a doubt,” Henderson said. “I obviously think art is very important in the development of a child. The more experiences you can give them, the better off they will be.”
While elementary students have their own gymnasium, they will be able to attend programs or events in the larger, middle school gym, which can seat between 600 and 700 people and also houses a stage area for performances.
“The gym is beautiful,” Henderson said. “Everything in here is top-notch, state-of-the-art. And acoustically, it will be a nice area.”
The elementary and middle school classrooms, while separate from one another, will have one major aspect in common: the technology.
Henderson said each classroom will be equipped with short throw projectors.
The technology will allow teachers to project their work and different activities or programs for the students to interact with, all without actually having to purchase a Smart Board.
“It makes excitement for the kids in the classroom,” Henderson said. “It changes things up. That’s how they learn today, through technology.”
In addition to the short throw projectors, the facility has more wireless capabilities than the buildings that the teachers and students are coming from.
Even with these improvements, Henderson said he believes that the district’s technology department has been “ahead of the curve” for a while.
For example, the district is in its third year of involvement with the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) program, an Indianapolis nonprofit that plans STEM-based curricula for elementary, middle and high schools.
Recently, Frazier School Board amended its program of studies to include two PLTW classes, Introduction to Engineering Design and Principles of Engineering, as honors courses.
“The kids absolutely love it,” Henderson said.
In the new building, there will be a room dedicated to PLTW, including a workshop for cutting and fabricating. Students also have access to 3D-printing technology.
In addition, this year, students in grades 5 through 8 will receive Chromebooks, an initiative that is mirrored off of a similar program at the high school.
Henderson said the initiative will cost the district $150,000 over three years.
Technology is not the only area the new building addresses.
Safety is also a concern.
“When people enter the building, on both sides, they’ll have to be buzzed in,” Henderson said. “There is a holding area. If they get in here, they’re stuck until we buzz them in. That’s one nice feature we have.”
The new building also houses a security office, another new feature.
Not just a school, but an education center
The board voted to named the new building the Frederick L. Smeigh Education Center. Smeigh, who died in April at age 71, served as Frazier superintendent from 1991 to 2005.
After leaving the Frazier School District, Smeigh became a distinguished educator with the Pennsylvania Department of Education, serving there for six years.
He joined Pittsburgh-based educational management system OnHands Schools in 2011, serving the organization until his death.
Henderson said teachers and students alike appear to be excited about the move into the new learning facility. He said their excitement was apparent this summer, when the staff had only one week to move items out of Perry Elementary before the demolition of the structure began.
“We had teachers moving boxes, staff, custodians and maintenance workers moving boxes,” Henderson said. “Even husbands and wives were helping, too. It was a team effort. They really need to be commended for their efforts.”
He added that the excitement has continued over the summer months.
“Teachers are chomping at the bit to get their classrooms ready,” he said. “They’ve been working throughout the summer to make it as student friendly as possible for the first day of school.”