ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, March 8, 1996 TAG: 9603080013
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARY A. NASCA
CAVE SPRING Junior High School has a multitude of problems that are detrimental to our children's education. A study was completed last fall by an architectural group, Moseley McClintock, and an educational consulting firm, DeJong & Associates, at the request of the Roanoke County School Board. Among the findings:
The school's capacity is 786 children. The present enrollment is 935. No classroom in the school meets state standards, thus accentuating the overcrowding. The choir room, which was built for 25 students, is filled with up to 51 voices hourly. The cafeteria is equipped for days gone by. Lunch must begin at 10:20 a.m. to handle the number of students who must eat in such a small area.
Physical-education classes suffer greatly. The gym is outdated, with bleachers that should have been replaced years ago. Windows are an eyesore, half-painted and half-peeling. There's not enough room for regularly scheduled classes to fit in the gym. Thus, the track and field areas are used for classes spring and fall, until weather forces the gym classes to become study halls.
The school also falls short in science, special education, technology, equipment, the library, art, storage, special labs, furniture, and administrative and teacher-preparation space.
The lighting is antiquated and casts a gloomy atmosphere associated with old schools. The electrical system is now stretched to its limit. The school was built when electrical demands were much fewer. But today, classrooms have one or more computers, televisions with VCRs, overhead projectors, film strips and fans - all relying on only two electrical outlets in most rooms. What this situation dictates is that little, if any, additional technology will flow into Cave Spring Junior. A case in point is the synergistic labs that are now, or will soon be, at all our middle schools except Cave Spring Junior.
There are no screens on any of the windows, so bee and wasp stings occur daily every spring and fall. It's amazing how disruptive one little bee can be in a room full of children. Air conditioning is lacking, which is the reason for open windows, bee stings and the constant need for fans in hot weather. It's very common to have daily indoor temperatures of 85 to 100 degrees. As one teacher said: "I get sleepy or just worn down in the extreme heat. Often it's difficult to focus, and it's difficult to muster up the extra energy to motivate a class full of hot, cranky, sleepy kids who are feeling just as yucky."
A solution is at hand. It lies in the April 2 bond referendum. The plan is to move the junior high school to the present Cave Spring High School, once a new high school is completed.
In recent years, Roanoke County has had many demands for funds to be spent elsewhere: the Spring Hollow Reservoir, the Smith Gap landfill, an improved police department, upgraded fire and rescue facilities. I applaud the county's effort to now look toward improving our schools over a five-year period, beginning with the April 2 bond referendum.
Mary A. Nasca of Roanoke is president of the Parent-Teacher Association at Cave Spring Junior High School.
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