BRAD HORN/Nevada Appeal Robbin Porter, 7, a first-grade student in Mrs. Steven's class at Bordewich-Bray Elementary School, picks out a book in the new library Thursday. Porter checked out 'Zookeepers Care for Animals.' Below, Sabdi Perez, 8, a second-grade student in Mrs. Braun and Mrs. Geraets-Rauh's class, walks through the new quad on the way to her classroom Thursday.
Bordewich-Bray Elementary School now has more classrooms - and more time to spend in them.
"Everything the kids need is accessible from this hallway," said Vice Principal Pat Beckwith, "where they used to have to walk the equivalent of four blocks."
When school officials discovered two years ago that portable buildings were infested with toxic mold, they knew the five modulars would have to be destroyed.
Rather than replace them with new portables, they decided to seek a $2.75 million bond to build an addition to the main building, consolidating the seven-building campus into one.
Voters agreed and work began.
As a way to involve students in the process, each classroom was given a pedometer to track the distance traveled in the course of a school day.
Younger students regularly walked between the Bray and Bordewich buildings, and all students had to cross the street to rented space at the Brewery Arts Center, which served as resource rooms, the music room and the library.
All together, the students found they walked 267,000 miles, an average of 2.8 miles per student per day.
During construction, each student walked an average of 411 miles en route to classes.
With students all in the same building, Beckwith said they are spending nearly two hours more of instructional time inside the classroom every week.
"It's easier to walk around now," said Brandon Ruf, 7. "You don't always have to walk outside."
However, even with lost class time, the school has been able to excel. And federal officials are taking notice.
Mary Jane Pearson, Region 9 representative for the U.S. Department of Education, will visit the school today. She will commend staff members on their ability to succeed with a diverse student body and explain the fundamentals of the No Child Left Behind act.
She will also attend the school's open house this evening, which is open to the public and guided tours will be available.
An opening ceremony will be conducted from 5 to 5:15 at the front entrance on the south side of the building. The open house will follow.
Contact Teri Vance at tvance@nevadaappeal.com or at 881-1272.
What: Bordewich-Bray Elementary School's open house
When: 5 to 7 tonight
Where: Bordewich Bray Elementary School, 110 Thompson St.