First day of high school for third graders
Posted: Wednesday, September 5, 2012 5:41 pm | Updated: 8:05 pm, Wed Sep 5, 2012.
Posted on September 5, 2012 by Gema Duarte
When Mary Hansell left her third-grade son at Morrisville High School on Wednesday morning to start his 2012-13 school year, the mother of two wasn’t worried.“We have a sixth-grader that comes here, so we feel that he’s going to be OK,” she said. “He says that he never sees the older kids and that was before the (partitioned) doors.”
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To save money, district officials transferred the third-graders from Grandview Elementary School to the high school building.
On Wednesday, the district’s mascot greeted the little ones with a sign that read, “Welcome Back Bulldogs.” And the elementary administrative interim, Todd DuPell, held a sign that read, “Grand Re-Opening.” He greeted parents and children with a warm smile.
Fourth- and fifth-graders moved into the high school building after a 2008 furnace explosion left M.R. Reiter Elementary unusable.
Not all parents have been comfortable with moving the younger students into the high school, even though the elementary school pupils are being housed in a separate part of the building and have been further separated from the high school students by doors.
Parent Jennifer Phillips said she's less than thrilled about the move, arguing that a high school building isn’t a place for young students.
“The dynamics are different,” she said, adding that there’s nothing friendly about the high school building for the little ones.
Phillips said her 8-year-old daughter, Maggie, was nervous about attending classes at such a big building. But at the end of the day, “She had a smile on her face, so it looks like it went well. She said she had a good day and likes her teacher. One day down.”
Although Maggie had a good day, Phillips said she strongly believes the district could do more to make the “the four walls that they are keeping the kids in” more colorful, with murals and paintings to help simulate the creative skills and imagination of the children.
During an open house last week, Superintendent Bill Ferrara told parents that getting a fully equipped playground will take between two and three years – a reality that didn’t sit well with Phillips.
“This district has potential,” she said. “Someone really needs to step up. They need to stop doing things backwards.”
Hansell and Phillips did agree on something.
Both mothers believe the district has no intention of transferring the younger students back to their old schools. They both remember a few years back, when the idea of building a new school to house all students was discussed and rejected due to finances.
“It’s a matter of time (before all students attend classes in the high school),” Hansell said.
On Wednesday, the district’s mascot greeted the little ones with a sign that read, “Welcome Back Bulldogs.” And the elementary administrative interim, Todd DuPell, held a sign that read, “Grand Re-Opening.” He greeted parents and children with a warm smile.
Fourth- and fifth-graders moved into the high school building after a 2008 furnace explosion left M.R. Reiter Elementary unusable.
Not all parents have been comfortable with moving the younger students into the high school, even though the elementary school pupils are being housed in a separate part of the building and have been further separated from the high school students by doors.
Parent Jennifer Phillips said she's less than thrilled about the move, arguing that a high school building isn’t a place for young students.
“The dynamics are different,” she said, adding that there’s nothing friendly about the high school building for the little ones.
Phillips said her 8-year-old daughter, Maggie, was nervous about attending classes at such a big building. But at the end of the day, “She had a smile on her face, so it looks like it went well. She said she had a good day and likes her teacher. One day down.”
Although Maggie had a good day, Phillips said she strongly believes the district could do more to make the “the four walls that they are keeping the kids in” more colorful, with murals and paintings to help simulate the creative skills and imagination of the children.
During an open house last week, Superintendent Bill Ferrara told parents that getting a fully equipped playground will take between two and three years – a reality that didn’t sit well with Phillips.
“This district has potential,” she said. “Someone really needs to step up. They need to stop doing things backwards.”
Hansell and Phillips did agree on something.
Both mothers believe the district has no intention of transferring the younger students back to their old schools. They both remember a few years back, when the idea of building a new school to house all students was discussed and rejected due to finances.
“It’s a matter of time (before all students attend classes in the high school),” Hansell said.
12 comments:
Thank you Bill Hellmann, Marlys Mihok, Al Radosti, Brenda Worob, Bill Farrell. Anyone else I missed?
Steve Worob, Ron Stout?
Jack Buckman
August 2007
“It spells disaster,” Councilman Stephen Worob said of having young schoolchildren walking and teenage students driving to the same school.
Someone needs to step up and do something Ms. Phillips?...well I saw 4 people step up last year who had enough and have been working hard for 6 months now. We can only imagine what was left for them to clean up and figure out and in 6 months I have seen those 4 new members challenge administration on every subject and ask tons of questions and have to make some tough decisions that may not be popular to everyone but necessary. one thing i learned in my last years is unless you walk in those shoes you dont have a clue so unless you are ready to run in the next election and take one of those seats on the board to Step up and make changes, you really need to take a step back and give those 4 parents time to figure some things out. If a President cant make all the changes in 4 years how do you expect a board of 9 that requires a majority to pass anything make your school world perfect for you in 6 months. so many opinions and comments and well they should do this and should do that but all of those people dont have the guts to do what they did last year, i know I dont but i trust those that i voted to put in there. be realistic with whats availalbe to them
Keep pressing. Keep asking the tough questions. Don't let them give you the run-around. Keep listening. Keep striving to do the best you can with what's available. We can't afford to return to the arrogant lies of Hellman, Mihok, and that ilk.
If you put a solid SOC majority back into office you can almost be assured that 3rd Grade will stay in H.S. and more grades could be shoved in.
Sitting SOC Board Members Worob and Stout have promoted an all in one building philosophy.
1 building? They were against it before they were for it. They are also for a 0 building philosophy; abolish the Morrisville School District!
Don't give up on Ms Phillips. She spoke eloqently about arts & music at a recent SB mtg. It is frustrating when parents are fly by night when something directly impacts their child but that's how it is in today's fast paced dysfunctional world.People have jobs if they're lucky and busy sometimes screwy lives and can't devote the time they might like to to some things. For better or worse, they want to feel there are people they can trust looking out for them so they can fret about something else instead.
Maybe Ms Phillips will be interested in stepping up and running for a school board seat in the next election.
eloquent? not so sure on that one, i saw the video but she would be a great board candidate. Go Phillips
All his Facebook likers friends and supporters, where the F are they day in and day out??? Some of them said Morrisville sucks. They're certainly not at school board meetings or working constructively to make things better. Once a year bomb throwing over football bulls--- drama don't cut it.
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