It took a “minor miracle’ and many days of hard work on the part of teachers, administrators and staff, but Clearview Elementary School was open for business Monday morning as advertised for the first day of the 2015-16 school year.

 

The school had undergone an extensive remodeling and renovation project that began last year with the construction of a new gymnasium along with six brand-new classrooms and reconfiguration of the old gymnasium and other classroom spaces. 

 

A scheduled open house last Tuesday had to be postponed due to delays in the project, which resulted in the structure failing a first review by state inspectors the previous week.  A second inspection last week was successful, allowing teachers and custodians access to the building to begin the process of moving equipment back into classrooms and cleaning up dust and debris from the construction project. The project included some long days for staff over last weekend as they struggled to get the building into shape for Monday morning.

 

After a successful first day on Monday, teachers and staff engaged in the controlled chaos of getting every student onto the correct school bus for the ride home, comparing their lists with the drivers and checking off each student as they boarded the appropriate vehicle, and providing personal escorts to the bus for some of the younger students who were a bit confused at their first exposure to the process.

 

Staff members also reported being pleased with the results of opening day, especially commenting on the new air conditioning system which made conditions inside the building much cooler than on pervious opening days.

 

Principal Sheri Rutar said that an evening “Welcome Back” program will be scheduled for the near future to make up for the missed open house, and a date for the event will be announced shortly.