New Construction

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.”