Add as a preferred source on Google

West Virginia Elementary School to Re-Open 8 Years After Destruction

  • By Matt Jones
  • 07/23/24

The new building for Clendenin Elementary School in Clendenin, W.Va., is set to open its doors to students this fall, eight years after the school was destroyed during a 2016 flood along the Elk River, according to local news. Construction began three years ago but was placed on an early hiatus after the discovery of pyritic sulfur in the soil. The ribbon-cutting ceremony is finally scheduled for August 15, WSAZ reports.

Classrooms have been reimagined as Exploratorium spaces, which will help prompt project-based and hands-on learning. Each grade will be assigned one large room divided into multiple sections. Each Exploratorium has its own restrooms, teacher’s office, and main learning area for desks and student learning. The Exploratoriums are about two to three times as large as a standard elementary-school classroom, according to local news.

“I think the Exploratoriums are where kids can work separately but then they can also work in groups. That’s what industry tells us now, they need kids to be able to work in teams and get along well with others,” said Kanawha County Schools Superintendent Tom Williams. “What better way to learn that than in elementary school?”

The school’s new location will also provide the opportunity for outdoor learning environments, local news reports.

“This is absolutely a beautiful location,” said Williams. “Kids are going to be able to get outside and play. The art classes, the music classes, those types will be able to get outside. We have reading nooks all over the place where kids can sit and read.”

Kanawha County facilities planning executive director Andrew Crawford explained the school’s design—particularly the Exploratorium concept—as a blend of old and new learning styles.

“It’s kind of like an homage to the one-room schoolhouse,” Crawford said. “Everybody in that grade level will be in that pod. There will be breakout areas for individual or smaller group sessions of learning, but it also creates a team cooperative learning experience that maybe we didn’t get growing up.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • restroom sinks

    CSU Dominguez Hills Standardizes Plumbing to Improve Restroom Maintenance and Efficiency

    At California State University, Dominguez Hills, facilities leaders have taken steps to standardize restroom fixtures as part of a broader effort to improve maintenance efficiency and control long-term costs.

  • UT System Board of Regents Approves $108M Housing Complex

    The University of Texas System Board of Regents recently announced the approval of a new, $108-million housing complex at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), according to a news release. The facility will stand four stories and have a total of 456 new beds for freshmen students.

  • textured paper collage shows a school building on fire as a fire truck sprays water into the flames

    Why a Fire Loss Is More than Flames

    We've all seen what fire damage can do to a property, but the types of damage building owners often encounter after a fire loss can exceed expectations. Having full awareness of the different forms of damage properties can sustain helps owners respond faster, reduce continued damage, and get back on the road to recovery in short order.

  • University of Southern Mississippi Starts Construction on Oyster Hatchery

    The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) recently announced that construction has begun on a new oyster hatchery at its Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL) Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center (TCMAC) Cedar Point campus in Ocean Springs, Miss., according to a news release.

Digital Edition