Graci Hix and Brinley Nelson examine houses they helped build in the STEM laboratory at Monroe Intermediate School. Experimental houses: The students were with parents during a rededication ceremony hosted at the school.
"For the record, I got a swat in that office, in that room and down there," longtime resident and Green River City Councilman Ted Barney said as he walked around Monroe Intermediate School.
A lot has changed since the days Barney attended school at Monroe during the early 1970s. The firing range in the basement is long gone, and school-administered corporal punishment is a distant memory as well. However, even a student who attended classes at Monroe a couple of years ago would have a difficult time recognizing the school's old floor plan.
Anyone looking for the Monroe swimming pool would find a kitchen, cafeteria and media center located in the space the pool once occupied. They would also find a newly-installed STEM laboratory, which focuses on instruction in science, technology, engineering and math, where the school's original cafeteria was located. Long hallways, referred to as avenues, guide students to classroom "neighborhoods" complete with lockers and multiple rooms branching from main commons areas. Donna Little-Kaumo, superintendant for the district, said the building's new floor plan improves security for the building while opening opportunities for collaborative study amongst students.
Sweetwater County School District No. 2 opened the newly renovated Monroe building to the public last night to both rededicate the building and give residents a chance to see the changes made during the renovation project. The fifth grade students have had classes at Monroe since the beginning of the year, with sixth-grade classes moving into the building at the start of the semester last week. While the building looks the same as it has for years, the rooms and equipment inside represent the leading edge of educational technology and theory.
"We are so, so excited for this building," board of education chairperson Brenda Roosa, said.
Each classroom is equipped with MimeoBoards, which expand on the capabilities the district's SmartBoards have. For example, MimeoBoards allow multiple students use of the board, tracking input from several students simultaneously. The classrooms are also equipped with microphones and speaker systems that can be utilized in multiple ways.
"It's an amazing piece (of technology,)" assistant principal Dan LaRose, said.
Educational theory is also on display in how the rooms are painted. Walls with MimeoBoards installed on them are painted bright colors in contrast to the rest of the walls in a classroom. LaRose said studies have shown that such paint placement in classrooms draws attention and focus to a teacher standing in front of a class, as well as what is displayed on the MimeoBoard.
The renovation cost $9.75 million and took approximately 18 months to complete. During that time, students and teachers were moved around Monroe as construction work continued around them. Students were also moved to the nearby Wilson Elementary School during the renovation project. Little-Kaumo said the driving force behind the renovation came from capacity growth the district noticed occurring throughout Sweetwater County.
While the option was available to build a new intermediate school, Little-Kaumo said the cost would have doubled or tripled the cost of renovating Monroe.
"The decision to renovate Monroe was the best option," Little-Kaumo said.
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