Spickard R-2 School Superin-tendent Dr. Gene Adkison says it’s a go for classes to begin on Tuesday, with students scheduled to be located at both the school and the basement of the Spickard United Methodist Church.
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Spickard R-2 School Superin-tendent Dr. Gene Adkison says it’s a go for classes to begin on Tuesday, with students scheduled to be located at both the school and the basement of the Spickard United Methodist Church.
Classes had originally been scheduled to start in late August, however, structural problems with the school has resulted in the closing of a portion of the building for use by the district. As a result, students in preschool and grades kindergarten through four have been moved to the Methodist church while grades five through eight will attend classes in that portion of the building that has been declared safe to use.
“We have been given a safe clearance,” Dr. Adkison said concerning the cafeteria, kitchen and two adjoining rooms, which will be utilized as classrooms for the upper grades.
All students will use the cafeteria for dining each day. The gymnasium and other classrooms are not usable because of the structural problem, however, work is to be done so that the gym can be used later in the year as well as the office area.
“We are hoping to get some of the restoration work done by Dec. 1 so that we can get back in the gym and use the stucco addition where the office is currently located,” Dr. Adkison said.
The district is placing a $125,000 bond issue on the ballot in November that, if approved, would provide funding to make the needed repairs and allow for additional use of the building for classes. Because the gym cannot be used at this time, Dr. Adkison said the district is using the vacant lot across from the Methodist church as a play area to provide some recreational activities for the students.
With only two classrooms, the kitchen and cafeteria available to the district, Dr. Adkison noted that other arrangements for restroom facilities have had to be made for students who are attending classes in the school.
“Those students will be using porta-potties, however, they will have sinks with running water and electricity in them,” Dr. Adkison said.
Meanwhile, teachers will be at the school on Thursday and Friday, participating in in-service workshops and readying their classrooms for the return of students next week. While most positions have been filled, the district is still lacking a special education teacher as well as someone to teach music and art.
“Those teachers are hard to come by,” Dr. Adkison said. “But we have some very good retired teachers who have been involved in those areas, so we are hoping that maybe we can get them to come in to help from time to time.”
Dr. Adkison said that it is hoped that a full curriculum of classes can be offered to students by the fourth week of school, adding that the art and music classes are important in helping the district maintain it’s MoSIP rating.
Students in grades seven and eight will have a new class available to them. Dr. Adkison will be offering an exploratory Spanish class, giving students a chance to cultivate a foreign language skill.
Bus routes for students will also remain the same and students will be picked up on a similar schedule as the one used last year, he said.
Dr. Adkison also noted that work is being done to replace the roof of the gymnasium. Hanes Roofing has been at the school since Tuesday and plans are to have the roofing work done by next week.
“We hope to have it done by the time school starts, if the weather holds up, but at least by the end of the week,” he said.