ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, August 22, 1996 TAG: 9608230015
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: W-11 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: BACK TO SCHOOL
SOURCE: CHARLES STEBBINS STAFF WRITER
Children and teachers returning to Salem schools for the coming term will find many new features spread through nearly all of the city's six schools.
The most visible new feature is G.W. Carver Elementary School, now nearing the end of a multimillion-dollar renovation and addition.
The imposing brick structure is highly visible to all who drive along Fourth Street in Salem. The final cost is expected to be about $7 million.
From the outside, the school appears to be almost totally new. And it doesn't miss much of being just that.
The original building is being renovated, with new construction being added on the side and rear. When finished, almost two-thirds of the building will be new.
However, not all of the building will be ready for the opening of the fall term. Diane Washenberger, Carver's principal, said a fall opening was the original target date, but bad weather last winter delayed work.
Now she is hoping to be able to move into some of the renovated portions of the original building by midfall. She hopes the whole project will be completed by midspring.
While the construction/ renovation work is going on, classes at Carver are being held in mobile classrooms.
Carver students also will find in the new construction a computer lab that will be the first segment of a computer and closed-circuit TV network linking all of Salem's schools.
Joseph Kirby, director of instruction, said the network is expected to be on line within two years, at a cost of about $1 million.
There are other construction changes that will be evident for children and teachers alike.
At East and West Salem elementaries, all windows have been replaced, and air conditioning has been installed, making all schools in Salem air-conditioned. East Salem also will have a new elevator.
At West Salem, a gym and classroom addition are under construction, and a new area for bus loading and unloading is being developed.
Some new features are mostly behind the scenes, in the form of new courses.
Salem High is getting the largest share with four, Kirby said.
Two of them, drama and chemistry, are four-year college-level classes under the international baccalaureate program.
The other two new classes at Salem High are home economics classes - "Lighten Up," a one-semester class in nutrition and weight loss, and "Adult Development and Aging," a one-semester class on meeting the needs of adults throughout their lives with concentration on older adults.
At Andrew Lewis Middle School, a new algebra class will be available for students who need extra help in math.
In personnel, Salem's elementary schools will get five new teachers, said Martha Ratcliff, personnel director.
The middle school will get two new teachers and an assistant principal, and two new teachers will join the faculty at the high school.
Additionally, there will be a new psychologist and visiting teacher, both of whom will work in all of the schools.
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