HARRISONBURG - Taking a cue from Thomas Jefferson, Schools Superintendent Donald Ford promised that the city's new two-school complex will be a place for all children.
Ford quoted Jefferson during Monday's dedication ceremony for Smithland Elementary and Skyline Middle schools, located on Linda Lane. School Board, City Council and community members attended the ceremony.
Jefferson believed in having "a system of general instruction, which shall reach every description of our citizens from the richest to the poorest, as it was the earliest, so will it be the latest of all the public concerns in which I shall permit myself to take interest."
Like Jefferson, Ford said the city school division is committed to educating children of all backgrounds. It is dedicated to making each child feel welcome and accepted at the new schools and all its schools.
"We will fulfill the lion's share of Jefferson's goal" at these schools, Ford said. "We will prepare children for college, the work force or productive citizenship."
New Schools A Necessity
Smithland Elementary and Skyline Middle schools will have a combined enrollment of about 1,500 students. Of those, about 600 will be in the elementary school and 900 will be in the middle school.
Although the schools are connected, they each have their own classrooms, lunchrooms, offices, media centers and libraries. The schools share an auditorium and kitchen.
The 219,562-square-foot complex, designed by Moseley Architects and built by Nielsen Builders Inc., cost the city about $37 million. That does not include the price of the land, about $3 million.
The schools will relieve overcrowding at the city's other schools and provide room for additional growth, officials have said.
Although the school division had about 100 fewer pupils in June 2008 compared to the same month last year, Ford said the schools are a must to relieve overcrowding.
"We absolutely believe the buildings are still a necessity," said Ford after the ceremony. "There's plenty of justification for the new schools."
Community Gives Accolades
Following the dedication, which ended with a ribbon cutting for both schools, community members toured the new buildings.
Leah Sullivan, a retired Keister Elementary School teacher, got to see the inside of the new schools for the first time. She was impressed with the classrooms and the overall layout of the schools.
"The classrooms seem really nice, very spacious," said Sullivan, of Bridgewater. "It's nice for the teachers."
Staci Heyler, 11, a rising sixth-grader, saw the schools for the first time with her mom, Mari Heyler. Staci said she's excited about starting the new school year in a big, new school.
"I love it," said Staci, who attended Stone Spring Elementary School last year. "[I'm looking forward to] all the new teachers and to seeing everyone here."
Mark Ness toured the school for the second time with his daughter, Amber Ness, 11, a rising seventh-grader. He thinks the combined middle/elementary school is an ingenious idea.
"I just like the use of one piece of property for two schools," Mark Ness said. "[I appreciate] the cost savings involved in it."
Contact Jenny Jones at 574-6286 or jjones@dnronline.com
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