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

  • Active Learning Classroom

    Striking a Balance: The Keys to Renovating Science Education Buildings for the 21st Century

    The recent renovation of the Durham Science Center at the University of Nebraska-Omaha (UNO) provides a roadmap for facilities managers tasked with balancing budget constraints, modern pedagogical demands, and long-term sustainability.

  • Ancient Resilience: How Indigenous Intelligence Shapes the 4Roots Education Building

    As climate change intensifies, educational spaces must evolve beyond basic sustainability toward true resilience – we must design environments that can adapt, respond, and thrive amid shifting, and intensifying, climate hazards. Drawing on indigenous wisdom and nature-based strategies, integrating resilient design offers a path to create learning environments that are not only functional but deeply in tune with their natural surroundings.

  • University of Connecticut Upgrades Basketball Facility’s AV Systems

    The University of Connecticut recently partnered with Metinteractive to upgrade the AV systems of the Gampel Pavilion basketball facility on its campus in Mansfield, Conn., according to a news release.

  • Kimball International Debuts Health & Education Experience Center

    Kimball International recently opened a new facility at its corporate headquarters in Jasper, Ind., that will act as a hands-on showroom for a variety of its furniture products and solutions, according to a news release. The 13,000-square-foot Health & Education Experience Center was originally designed by Gensler as the headquarters for Kimball International’s National brand.

Digital Edition