DATE: Thursday, July 3, 1997                TAG: 9707030905

SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS         PAGE: 13   EDITION: FINAL 

                                            LENGTH:   52 lines

SCHOOL BULLETIN - NORFOLK

Here's a look at what happened at the Norfolk School Board meeting Thursday: Redistricting OK'd for Larchmont

The board approved the incremental redistricting of students living in the Glenwood Park neighborhood from Larchmont Elementary School to Camp Allen Elementary - with the provision that students already enrolled at Larchmont would be ``grandfathered'' and be allowed to finish out their school years there.

The board voted 5-2 for the plan, which was recommended to them by the school administration. Board member Joseph T. Waldo and Vice Chair Anita O. Poston voted against the plan, citing their concerns that it would not alleviate overcrowdedness at Larchmont fast enough. Instead they recommended only grandfathering fourth and fifth grade students and considering other students on a case-by-case basis.

The request for the incremental nature of the redistricting came from parents who felt their children should be allowed to remain in the school they started in. A public hearing was held on the matter on May 22.

``It is the opinion of the administration that this action wil effectively reduce overcrowding at Larchmont while maintaining the educational continuity for Glenwood Park students currently enrolled at Larchmont,'' the administration's recommendation read. A new look

The district presented its new logo to the board. The logo, an abstract teal and white rendering of a student working at a desk, will replace the old logo, which has been in use for 17 years.

``People want us to go back to the basics. They want us to teach our students. The logo reflects that, but in a modern contemporary way,'' said Barbara Hamm, executive director for news and programming at WTKR and a member of the district's public relations advisory board.

The new logo is another step in the district's effort to improve its image. Earlier this year it surveyed community members on their perceptions of the district. Next on the agenda is the development of a school district brochure, said Carol Hanna Branch, the district's manager of public relations.

Branch said she and the public relations advisory board considered having a student design the new logo but decided to go with a graphic arts firm instead, because ``We knew we needed to have a very professional look.''

Branch said development of the logo cost ``several thousand dollars. It was not outrageously expensive.'' She said it would be phased in gradually, that school supplies bearing the old logo would be used before new ones were purchased.

``We wanted something very solid,'' said Branch. `` A new look that will carry us into the 20th century.''

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