Chumuckla Elementary School Expands as Student Enrollment Grows
Chumuckla Elementary School Expands as Student Enrollment Grows
Chumuckla, Florida, February 2, 2012
There is quite a bit of traffic around the campus of Chumuckla Elementary School lately. If you drive past the school, located off Highway 182 in Chumuckla, Florida, you are bound to see the various dump trucks, tractors and construction equipment entering and leaving the school grounds. Construction on four new classrooms began this past January as students returned from Christmas holidays. “The new classrooms have been a much needed addition to our school for some time,” states Principal Sherry Smith. “We have had to move several of our classes into portables because we simply ran out of space for our steadily increasing population of students.” Teachers have taken advantage of the construction with their students by integrating the events into their daily curriculum. Mrs. Mary Lou Bird, 4 th grade teacher, has been able to incorporate math lessons on area and perimeter with her students. Ms. Cherven, Music Teacher, has integrated concepts such as sound waves, dynamics and rhythm provided by the construction activity.
The addition of a turn lane off Highway 182 into the school’s Parent Pick-Up lane has also been under construction since early January. This turn lane allows traffic to move much more safely during school dismissal each afternoon. Construction of the turn lane would not have been possible without the support of Mr. Joey Harrell, Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services and County Commissioner Don Salter.
Construction of the new Parent Pick-Up turn lane is now completed and ready for use. Construction on the new classrooms is estimated to be completed by the end of July or beginning of August 2012. Teachers and students should be able to occupy the new rooms by the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year.
Chumuckla Elem Growth |
Letter submitted by Sherry Smith, Principal, of Chumuckla Elementary School. She can be reached at (850) 995-3690 if you have any questions.
Certainly needs to be examined. Gets terribly congested.
The SRC School Board or the FL DOT should also be surveying a turn lane for another North Santa Rosa school – Jay Elementary. FL89 is much more heavily traveled than SR182, and everyday around 1:30 the congestion at the elementary school grows to dangerous levels – vehicles straddling the white line waiting their turn to pick up children. Will the SRC School Board or the FL DOT take any proactive measure to correct a danger that has yet to come to realization, or will they sit back and wait until a tractor implement, school bus, or 18-wheeler takes out multiple vehicles (and possibly lives) before deciding to take action? A few months ago, at the cost of multiple lives, the FL DOT finally took action concerning Berrydale crossroads. Are multiple lost lives now the standard cost before the elementary school’s parent pick-up dangers are resolved?