I'm excited by the plans for the new South Middle School, which I had a chance to examine today for the first time. The subject is being talked about now during the Joplin R-8 Board of Education meeting, which is being televised on Jet 14 on Cable One in Joplin.
The classrooms are going to be considerably larger than the ones we are currently teaching in, while the library/media center will actually have enough room to seat two classes, whereas our library at South now can barely handle one large class.
The new computer labs will also be spacious, something which will certainly help the students in my communication arts classes when we do our third quarter Civil Rights Movement research project.
The building also has numerous other pluses to recommend it, and it will be far safer and more attractive for the students.
We are scheduled to move into it in the fall of 2009.
3 comments:
Unless you put better teachers in the building it will still be considered the "slum" of Joplin schools. And that is saying a lot considering we are talking about a district with the worst reputation in southwest Missouri. It is the ONLY school district around that actually loses student population because people move out of the district every year.
The previous response is clearly an uneducated one. According to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Joplin's student population has risen by a large number over the last two years. From 7,101 in 2004, to 7,116 in 2005 and then to 7,358 in 2006.
The only problem I, and most parents have with this plan is the district's refusal to widen the roads around the school. The argument has been made that all the other schools have two lanes around them so this is no different. The problem with that is the other schools are not rural and the streets have shoulders. This new facility will be in a valley, coming off some fairly steep hills. The roads have no shoulders and there are no turn lanes. The district must address these issues.
And your response is also uneducated. The Joplin Globe reported this story last year and since you conveniently left 2007 out of your response, I am sure you know that as well. Joplin was the only school in the area to report a loss in student population from the year before. Do your research before opening your mouth in ignorance.
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