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School bells ring again
By KELLY RYAN © St. Petersburg Times, published August 24, 2000 Just past the corner of Organization Road and Effort Way, Chanthavisouk Soukvilay finally found her daughter's kindergarten classroom. Like other parents on the first day of school, she needed some help. She also needed a map. While its 40-year-old building is being renovated, Melrose Elementary School has moved into a 40-portable village behind Maximo Elementary School in south Pinellas County. In less than an hour Wednesday morning, 1,200 students on 35 school buses and in countless cars arrived at the same address. Some kids got lost, some parents couldn't find parking, and some buses were late -- all signs of a typical first day at Melrose and elsewhere. "A lot of times, you say, "We didn't think of that,' " said Melrose principal John Burwell. "We thought of everything we needed to." Pinellas schools reported no major problems Wednesday as 110,615 students returned to class. The only interruption was for Richard L. Sanders Exceptional Center, which was briefly evacuated when a worker hit a gas line in the neighborhood. "Everything seemed like it went like clockwork today," said schools spokesman Ron Stone. "Even transportation had a good day." The potential for chaos at Melrose-Maximo drew visits from Superintendent Howard Hinesley and an official from St. Petersburg Mayor David Fischer's office. Martha O'Howell, assistant superintendent for human resources, arrived at Melrose to direct traffic. Other district administrators volunteered at schools under construction, such as Walsingham Elementary, or those hosting "boo hoo breakfasts" to make the goodbyes easier for parents and children. Parents turned out in force at Dunedin High School to prowl for students violating the district's stricter dress code that bars strappy tops or visible underwear. By the end of the day, about 85 kids were caught and forced to wear oversized T-shirts spray-painted with a big "X.' "It's part of preparing kids for the real world," said PTA president Marylou Krentzman. "I think we'll see behavior and the whole atmosphere get better." Back at Melrose, Burwell and Maximo principal Barbara Hires spent the summer choreographing their merger. Maximo will benefit from all of the planning -- when Melrose moves out at the end of the year, Maximo will move in to make way for its own renovations. The principals staggered the opening times at the two schools by 15 minutes, set up two separate entrances for school buses and enlisted a campus police officer to keep traffic flowing. They made sure that all the portables -- especially the ones that arrived with holes -- were renovated and cleaned. The kindergarten portables have restrooms, but other students will have to walk outside to one of three bathroom portables. A cafeteria, fashioned from four portables, will serve food delivered from Lakewood High School. The cafeteria, like the classrooms, are larger than the ones at the old Melrose. To help students and parents find their way through the maze of identical buildings, colorful flags hang outside each door. Each sidewalk is named for the values students are taught, such as friendship and responsibility. Educators handed out maps. Parents already have nicknames for the new Melrose -- Mel@Max, in deference to the school's communication and technology magnet focus, and Melrose City. They were pleasantly surprised the campus could look so homey, with flowers, waterfalls and learning displays. "They look better inside than you'd think," said Octavine Swanson, as she snapped pictures of her son and daughter. "To me, it's just another magnet challenge." Some work still needs to be done. All of the wiring is not complete, so students won't have access to computers for a week. Crews still have trash to pick up. A covered walkway has to be built. "They had a lot of cleaning up to do, but they're well-organized," said Ronda Hillson after dropping off her three children. "It's nice as long as the kids are happy and continue to learn." The learning started as soon as all the children were settled. Elizabeth McCarthy's class sang about the alphabet and wrote class rules, which included "no biting" and "treat fish nice." Jennifer Patterson gave her kindergarteners a classroom tour after they colored owl pictures. She tried to remember the names of all of her "beautiful faces" as she consoled Soukvilay's daughter, Jaipet, who speaks Laotian at home and doesn't know much English. "I don't hurt," Patterson said, wrapping her arm around Jaipet's shoulder. "You'll be OK." - Times staff writer Lorri Helfand contributed to this report.
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From the Times South Pinellas desks |
