Plans to renovate and add on to the existing Moorhead Middle School appear to be on track.
The project will adhere to the aforesaid time constraints set by superintendent Miskia Davis and her staff back in June and July.
The district had announced arrangements to send sixth through eighth graders from Moorhead to Inverness Elementary for the 2017-2018 school year while Moorhead Middle School is being renovated.
Davis told the parents and the community then that the children would only have to be bussed to Inverness for one year.
The plan is for the middle school to be expanded to include K-8, and Rosser Elementary in Moorhead would be closed beginning in the 2018-2019 school year. Moorhead Middle, built in 2000, has seen its enrollment drop from 167 in 2004 to 89 in 2017.
Fewer than 10 parents and community members showed up for a meeting on Thursday night that was designed to allow the general public’s input into the naming of the school, assigning school colorsand selecting a mascot. Davis called the turnout, “disappointing.”
She explained that the district had sent out flyers and other notifications to make sure parents were aware but just a handful showed.
That being the case, Davis said the suggestions they have received from the students who will be attending the facility will be compiled and placed on a ballot and the decision will be completely student-led.
The students will determine the name for the new school mascot and corresponding school colors and they hope to announce the selections at the groundbreaking.
At Thursday's meeting, William Murphy, director of personnel and student affairs, showed those in attendance the suggestions submitted by the students but noted that some of the suggestions were a little outlandish and likely will not be accepted, but they wanted to give the students a voice.
No other suggestions were presented by those in attendance.
Murphy also addressed concerns that arose at previous meetings concerning the possible exposure to pesticides and other chemical spraying since the school was near a field. He said he spoke to the landowner and the company that does the spray applications and was assured that there was no danger to the students.
“The new add-on is not going to be any closer to the field than the existing school, and that school has been here for years and it has had no impact, so we don’t expect it to be any different,” Davis said. She also added that while she was principal at the school she never noticed them spraying during school hours.
The groundbreaking is set to take place on Nov. 16 and William Mills of Mills and Mills Architect Firm said mobilization could begin as soon as two weeks following groundbreaking. The facility is expected to be complete and inspected and ready to move in by July 15, 2018, just in time for the start of the new school year.
