Not only are students ready to begin the school year. Administrators are as well.
On this week’s USD 253 Showcase with Superintendent Allison Anderson-Harder this week, Emporia High Assistant Principal Sheryl Leeds said she enjoys seeing the growth of students from the start of classes in August to the finish line in May.
Tessa Santangelo, an early childhood teacher at the Jones Early Childhood Development Center, says the facility offers benefits for students and teachers that weren’t available at Maynard, the district’s former early learning center. Like Leeds, she also likes to see the student growth evident through the year.
William Allen White Student Support Specialist Jessica Kellison says she enjoys helping students, and she’s ready for the school year to start.
Emporia Middle School is one of four schools seeing ongoing renovations as part of the nearly $80 million Building for the Future bond package. The school is at 93 percent of completion, and Assistant Principal Allyson Waddle says students and parents are impressed by the renovations.
As for the other schools under renovation currently:
*Village Elementary is now at 96 percent complete after a project to enlarge the kitchen and add new appliances. A new parking lot and one-way exit are done and are in use.
*Riverside and Timmerman schools are both at 41 percent. Masonry work is underway at Riverside and will begin at Timmerman once crews finish at Riverside.
*William Allen White is set for construction to begin in spring 2024.
Enrollment also continues, but USD 253 encourages parents to handle that process as soon as possible by setting appointments at the Flint Hills Learning Center inside Flinthills Mall. The number to call is 620-341-3296.
