West Greene elementary students celebrate their first day
Principal Don Painter watches first- and second-grade students walk down the halls of the new elementary school in Rogersville.
Principal Don Painter walks through the new library of West Greene Elementary School on the first day of class Monday.
The front entrance of the new West Greene Elementary School.
The new school houses a brand new gymnasium that neither Graysville nor Springhill-Freeport schools had.
ROGERSVILLE – Monday marked the first day of school not only for West Greene students, but also the first day for the brand new elementary school building.
“It has been one of the busiest summers,” Principal Don Painter said. “I am glad it is just about over.”
Located next to the high school, the new building on Hargus Creek Road will house students in Kindergarten through sixth grade from the now-closed Graysville and Springhill-Freeport elementary schools. The original plans to create a new facility to bring together all West Greene elementary students began in 2009.
Painter has been a part of the process since the beginning, and now with the first day over, he’s ready to start working on small issues brought about by the new situation.
“You know you think you plan for everything, but then when you put things into place, you always run into a couple of bumps in the road,” Painter said. “So, we have to iron out a few details within some things.”
Although transportation routes and pickup went smoother than Painter anticipated, he said working to make sure kids know where to go and drivers know everyone to pick up still needs to improve. He also spent a lot of his time the first day in the lunchroom trying to create a better procedure for both the students and teachers.
“I expect the worst and hope for the best,” Painter said jokingly about the couple of problems he had been presented with during the first day.
The new school is showing many positive signs, as well.
Painter said he saw many students walking into the new facility with smiles and looks of excitement on their faces. He hopes that the numerous upgrades will improve their education compared to the outdated Graysville and Springhill-Freeport elementary schools.
“I hope that occurs,” Painter said. “I look at the facilities that we came from and they served West Greene well, but I think they reached the end of their useful life cycle.”
Each classroom is equipped with smart technology and smart boards for the teachers. The new building has its own gymnasium and separate cafeteria, which the students did not have at other two schools. The new building also showcases large windows in many rooms.
One of Painter’s favorite upgrades is the new library.
“It’s a very elementary friendly library,” Painter said.
The new school that will house around 370 students this year and is expected to save the district money.
Painter said the district will see the biggest savings in transportation since the students will be bused to one campus instead of three different locations, like before. He added there are more saving by also combining the two staffs into one school.
“We only have one kitchen (so) all of our food is prepared at the high school kitchen,” Painter said.
There are still a couple of steps that need to be completed. The 7,000-square-foot playground is about halfway completed and will have a hard and soft surface area. The delay means the recess schedule is still being discussed.
Painter is sure other issues will arise as the school year continues, but he’s looking forward to getting back to focusing on administrative issues and having a calmer year ahead.