Published: August 21, 2009 12:40 am      

Remodeling efforts will benefit students

Students at two area school districts will see some changes as they report to class this fall.

Caston school officials this week invited the public out for a tour of their newly renovated building. Superintendent Dan Foster called it a good opportunity for the public to see their tax dollars at work.

The building, which houses classes from kindergarten through high school, now has a larger health area and assistant principal’s office. The band room also got an acoustical treatment, and several classrooms and restrooms got a new coat of paint. The kitchen and cafeteria also saw some changes, and the high school track and parking lot both got a new surface.

The building also got some new computers and a keyless entry system that school officials believe will provide better security.

Southeastern students, meanwhile, will report to classes next week at newly renovated schools.

Superintendent John Bevan reported this week that $7 million in improvements at all three school buildings would be nearly finished in time for the start of school. He said there would be some minor odds and ends to finish up, but nothing that would disrupt classes at Lewis Cass Junior-Senior High School or at Thompson and Galveston elementary schools.

The renovations at the high school included remodeling the 40-year-old science laboratory and upgrading the technology and the agriculture area. A new foyer connects the gym with the weight room on the west end of the building. The art rooms were enlarged and 20 classrooms received electrical upgrades.

Work at Thompson Elementary included individual room air conditioners along with a new boiler room, a new heating system and electrical improvements. At Galveston Elementary, contractors installed energy-efficient windows and replaced the heating and air-conditioning system in addition to adding more electrical outlets in each classroom.

Both projects will result in classrooms that will be better suited to education in the 21st century.

The new computers at Caston will help teachers to prepare their students to compete in a world dominated by the Internet, and the renovations at Southeastern will result in more comfortable, more energy-efficient buildings that in the long run will save taxpayers money.

Hats off to both school corporations on the successful completion of their projects.



– Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, and Kokomo Tribune