ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, November 15, 1996 TAG: 9611150047
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
THE CLASSROOMS on the Carter Road side of the original building, which was built in 1942, will be incorporated into the renovations.
The historic front of Woodrow Wilson Middle School will be saved when the building is renovated and expanded next year.
The Southwest Roanoke school will be enlarged from 33 to 41 classrooms and several facilities will be added during the $7 million reconstruction that will provide the latest in technology and make it more user-friendly for parents.
A new library, band room, art room, cafeteria, computer labs, foreign language lab, special education classrooms and technology exploration lab will be added.
The capacity will increase to 600 students to accommodate projected growth in enrollment, which is now slightly below 500, said architect Richard Rife.
The facade and classrooms on the Carter Road side of the original building, which was built in 1942, will be incorporated into the renovations. Additions were made to the school in 1950 and 1976.
Rife said Friday that some parents wanted to save the classroom section, while others preferred a school that would best serve students even if the facade had to be razed.
The renovation plan achieves both goals because the classrooms in the oldest portion of the building are suitable for a modern middle school, he said.
"We were fortunate in this regard, and it was a win-win situation," Rife said. "We will preserve the historical character of the building while accomplishing the other goals."
Rife & Wood Architects of Roanoke is working with Kinsey, Shane & Associates, a Salem architectural and engineering firm, in designing the renovation.
A meeting will be Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the school for parents, students and neighbors to discuss the plans and get reactions to the project, which is scheduled to begin next summer.
Rife said the road and parking on the south side of the building will be renovated to make the school more accessible to parents and visitors.
"The school sits so high on the hill. You have to climb 62 steps to get to the main level, and it discourages parental participation," Rife said.
Parents and school staff also complained that buses and cars use the same entrance on the north side, creating a safety hazard for students.
The plan calls for extending a service road on the south side so motorists can drive near the building and park in a lot that will be available after buses unload in the morning.
The existing service road will be widened and extended from Carter Road to Carlton and Devon roads. An expanded parking lot will be built on the upgraded road, which will be the access route for buses. Students will be dropped off on the south side of the building instead of at the north entrance.
A library, foreign language lab, dining area, kitchen and classrooms for hearing-impaired students will be built on the north side of the school toward Raleigh Court Park.
An four-level addition will be built onto the existing classroom sections. The band room, art room and other facilities will be on the ground level. Each of the three classroom levels, or "pods," will house a particular grade and will be identical.
"The educational philosophy at the middle level is to have each grade semi-autonomous and separate because there is such a wide disparity between sixth-and eight-graders," Rife said.
By having a separate floor for each grade, the students will spend most of the day in their own pod for basic subjects. They will go outside their pod for some subjects such as art, music and physical education.
Each academic pod will have five regular classrooms, two special education classrooms, three labs for science and other subjects, a computer lab and other facilities. Each classroom will accommodate seven computers.
The existing auditorium, gymnasium, boys' and girls' locker rooms will be renovated.
Students will attend other middle schools while Woodrow Wilson is closed during the 1997-98 school year for renovations. Student placements for the year will be discussed at the neighborhood meeting Tuesday.
LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: CINDY PINKSTON\Staff. A meeting will be Tuesday at 7by CNBp.m. at Woodrow Wilson Middle School for parents, students and
neighbors to discuss next year's renovations. color. Graphic: Map by
Robert Lunsford.