THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 22, 1996 TAG: 9608220369
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY ANNE SAITA, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 73 lines
Northeastern North Carolina is part of the national upswing in public school students, and the academic explosion can be seen at various communities where schools are being built.
First-week enrollments are up in Currituck, Camden and Pasquotank counties, and are expected to continue growing through Labor Day, when all children report to class.
Dare County schools will start next week because the Babe Ruth World Series is being held at Manteo High School. Perquimans County Public Schools start today.
Camden County schools' first-day enrollment on Wednesday, including kindergarteners who are on a staggered schedule, was 1,139 - the highest in at least five years and 62 more students than last year.
Enrollment should continue to swell, with many new families that include toddlers moving into the rural county.
``We're anticipating in the next couple of years to see a really big boom,'' said Martha Wickre, the school system's public information director.
The most visible sign of growing pains in already expanding localities is the number of schools in various stages of construction along rural highways and city side roads.
Camden County's Grandy Primary School just held a ribbon-cutting for a new wing that added eight classrooms for Pre-K and kindergarten pupils and a mulitpurpose gym.
Currituck County is building a high school that will be twice the size of the existing school on U.S. Route 158 in Barco. Like most other campuses in the county, the high school uses mobile classrooms for some students.
A school system spokeswoman said first-week enrollment is up at most Currituck schools, though exact figures were not available late Wednesday afternoon. She estimated that by Wednesday there were about 3,000 students, which is about 100 more than last year's enrollment average.
Currituck officials have tried to control a surge in school enrollment by limiting residential development until more facilities are available to accommodate growth.
Additions are planned this year at Central Elementary School in nearby Maple, and two elementary schools are to be built in Moyock and, eventually, Jarvisburg.
Pasquotank County is in the midst of a huge $21.9 million construction project at various school sites, including a second middle school being built on River Road.
The existing Elizabeth City Middle School, along with J.C. Sawyer, Pasquotank, Central and Northside elementary schools, are all undergoing renovations and additions.
Pasquotank's first-day enrollment at the system's high school, middle school and eight elementary schools totaled 5,975 - up five students over last year.
That number is expected to keep going up to about 6,300 students by Labor Day, when all students have registered and returned to class. The 10th-day figure last year was 6,262.
``There are a number of reasons why some students don't come back to school right away,'' said Charles White, the school district's public information director.
Among them are vacationing families. ``This happens everywhere,'' White said. ``It seems like parents say, `Well, heck, I'm on vacation, and we're going to stay anyway.' ''
Some late students may feel they don't need the review that usually is given the first week of school. And other parents do not preregister during the summer, White added.
The urban-rural school system, which has grown for at least the past six or seven years, is expected to expand by about 75 students - or three new classrooms - annually into the next century.
Although school has not begun in Dare County, comparisons of school enrollments last year and 10 years ago show dramatic upswings.
Dare school populations in 1985 totaled 2,677. Last year, 4,182 children attended the Dare public schools. by CNB