By Lyndsie Ferrell
DEL NORTE— The 2018 school year is off to a great start in Del Norte and though the students have some small changes to get used to this year, they seem to be adjusting just fine.
This year, the students kindergarten through sixth grade will be in the middle school building which doesn’t afford for much room, but according to staff and teachers, the students are getting used to the change and really enjoy being in the same building together.
“Things are a tad tight right now, and we had to make some adjustments that we all will have to get used to, but in all I think we started the year off just as good as we could possibly hope for,” said Superintendent Chris Burr. “We have some small changes and we have to use every square inch of that building for the students, but really it’s all worthwhile considering we get to move into a new school.”
Students are still using some of the old elementary school campus, crossing the street to play on the playground during recess and using the field for sports. Burr stated that as the time to move into the new school gets closer, the playground equipment will be sold or repurposed, possibly by the High Valley Community Center. “We will utilize and repurpose everything we can in order to save the community and the district money. By moving into the small elementary school gym and using it as our temporary administration offices, we saved a bundle instead of renting a mobile unit,” stated Burr.
The new offices are working out great according to Burr and though it took the staff longer than anticipated to get moved in, now that they are there the only complaint they have is that they miss being closer to the students. “The first week of school was really great but last year I had the little grades with me all year long, so my first week was actually really quiet,” laughed administrative secretary Terri Dudley.
Now that the students are back in school, school officials will continue to focus on the many tasks at hand as they work through getting the new school up and running. “We have so many components to this process that we have to consider. Things will change around from time to time and that’s ok, because it’s all part of the process,” stated Burr.
The water line extension is one of the things that has been changed recently, and construction will not take place until spring. “The town is in the process of completing a Department of Local Affairs grant application that will help pay for the project. As we went through this process we found out that the grant will not pay for work that has already been completed, so we have to wait,” said Burr.
Another change may be coming in regards to how the street extension will be handled due to unforeseen circumstances. “We plan on giving the city back Hermosa Drive and French Street, but there is a slight concern for the fire department because if we extend 9th Street to French Street it will go right through the field house property where they plan on having a training facility. We will get details worked out as time goes on, we definitely want the fire department as our neighbors, how cool is that?” said Burr.
Though there are a few things that are being worked out, Burr stated that the school is off to a great start. “They are actually pouring concrete and setting rebar this week. A lot of people have commented on how big the school looks, but what they don’t realize is that what they see right now is only the gym and the auditorium. It gets way bigger from here on out,” said Burr with a smile.