All together now -- kids at one site

A new day and a new way arrived Tuesday, Nov.1, 2005, for hundreds of McCook pupils, parents, teachers and school staff members.

After more than a century of attending "ward" schools, public school students in McCook's primary grades are now receiving their education at a single site elementary campus.

All of McCook's public school pupils -- from pre-school to third grade -- were at the same school for the first time Tuesday, filling the renovated and expanded structure at 1500 West Third Street, with 383 students, 38 teachers and 22 staff members.

For 193 of those students -- 73 from East Ward and 120 from the modulars -- it was the first time to have classes in the newly built and remodeled McCook Elementary School.

"It went really well," said Principal Kathy Latta. Weeks of planning and advance visits helped with the transition, Latta said. Students from East Ward came over for a walk-through, getting an advance look at the gym, music room and lunchroom. Then, they came back again last week, carrying their own supplies to lockers in the new school.

The new school is spacious, with close to 70,000 square feet under roof. This is enough for all four of the primary grades -- kindergarten through third grade -- to have five classrooms each. In addition, the school features a multi-purpose room large enough to accommodate two physical education classes at the same time, as well as a big commons area for breakfast, lunch and school programs.

"One of the many nice things about the new school is the heating and air conditioning system," Mrs. Latta said. "It's great not to have to worry about classrooms being too cold or too hot."

Even though all the K-3 public school pupils are now in the same school building, more work remains to be done on the $5.8 million single-site elementary project. "We still need to move the modulars and get the landscaping work done," Mrs. Latta said. Also, safety surfacing is needed for playground equipment, with the finishing work possible as early as next week.

When all the kinks are worked out -- including a smooth plan for traffic flow -- the school is planning a dedication ceremony. The event will probably take place in the spring, Mrs. Latta said, because we want all parts of the project completed so the community can celebrate in style.