MASSILLON – The city’s youngest Tigers headed back to school Sept. 2, a little over a week after intermediate, middle and high schoolers headed back to class.
The elementary school students got a little longer summer break as Massillon City Schools prepared to open the district’s new elementary schools.
Preschool through third-grade students were greeted at the doors of the new schools by Superintendent Paul Salvino, principals and teachers.
Seven-year-old Rylibelle Faile was kicking off the school year by coloring a back-to-school worksheet in Destinee Rocca’s second-grade classroom at Massillon West Elementary School on the city’s west side.
“There are a lot of things I like in this school,” the former Gorrell student said. “It’s just perfect.”
Many students described the new elementary schools as massive. The new schools combined students from the former Gorrell, Whittier and Franklin buildings as part of a $45 million project.
Both schools are about the same size at about 91,200 square feet and are identical in terms of the number of classrooms and other spaces. They have a two-story section that houses classrooms and a single-story section that houses the cafeteria, gym and other spaces. The only difference is the layout of the buildings, Superintendent Paul Salvino said.
East Elementary School was built on the visitor parking lot at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium on the Washington High School campus. The other school is behind the Massillon Intermediate and Junior High School on the city’s west side.
Follow the color path
Salvino said officials wanted to stay true to the traditional school colors, but wanted to infuse fun into the buildings — after all, it is a primary school.
Each grade was designated a color — green, purple, blue, yellow. Students need only to follow their grade’s color to their classrooms. Each grade level classroom is located in a wing and shares a common area with a restroom, cubbies and seating that could be used for group work and individual work.
The walls throughout the school are decorated with various colors, as well as crayons and musical notes.
East Elementary School first grader Karlie McCarthy loves the colors painted on the walls. The first-grade classrooms are green.
The colorful motif is fun, the 6-year-old said as she unloaded her backpack at her desk in Ryan Hendershot’s classroom.
Sinea Taylor, 8, describes her new school as “lovely,” especially with the walls decorated with her favorite colors.
Which colors are her favorite? All of them, she exclaimed.
Alice Kinnerson, 7, was excited to start the new school year at Massillon West Elementary School after she was homeschooled last year.
She is looking forward to learning Spanish.
Her classmates were eager to get outside and try out the new playground space.
“There are a lot of things to do,” third grader Weston Beckett, 8, said.
New schools offer security, state-of-the-art facility
Salvino said the schools are “very secure.” The district added a fourth school resource officer to its staff this year. Now, each school will have its own officer. Previously, they rotated around the three elementary schools.
“That’s two armed officers on each campus,” he explained. “This is something the board (of education) felt strongly about.”
Some other new things you’ll find at the schools, gathering stairs and the Lu Uno, an interactive learning tool.
The gathering stairs, carpeted oversized treads, can be found upon entering both buildings. The stairs act as a gathering place for students to learn or for treats, such as watching movies. The area is equipped with speakers and a large screen.
“They can use it for a change of environment outside the classroom for learning, or they can watch a movie as a treat,” West Elementary Principal Alyssia Kappas said. “It’s really cool.”
Each of the gyms is equipped with Lu — an interactive system that allows kids to experiment and interact in different ways to experience movement and technology.
The system can be projected onto the floor and walls, and allows teachers to use the technology to explore movement in gym class and in other subjects.
“We are one of the only communities that was able to do this with partial help from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission, and no tax money. We didn’t have to go to the taxpayers for a bond or additional levy money. We have been saving for this for about seven years,” Salvino said. “(The new schools are) impressive.”
Reach Amy at 330-775-1135 or amy.knapp@indeonline.com.
This article originally appeared on The Independent: ‘It’s just perfect’: Massillon elementary students excited for class in new schools
Reporting by Amy L. Knapp, Massillon Independent / The Independent
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
