HOBART | More than 1,000 residents filled the halls of the former Hobart High School on Sunday afternoon to rededicate the building as the district's middle school.
The $11.2 million project took just seven months to complete as contractors knocked down walls, renovated each classroom and gave the building a completely new look, both inside and out.
"The transformation is nothing short of a miracle," School City of Hobart Superintendent Peggy Buffington said. "This is 255,000 square feet of dynamic student-centered space to prepare our students for tomorrow."
Principal Denise Galovic said teachers have been busy the past two weeks moving their belongings into their new classrooms and getting used to their new surroundings. She said the layout of the building is a definite improvement over their former Fourth Street home, portions of which date back more than 100 years.
"This whole school has been redesigned with the middle schooler in mind," Galovic said.
The latest in educational technology can be found in each classroom, social studies teacher Matt Whiteman said. Each room is equipped with wireless laptop computers and there are electronic transponders available for teachers to use. Whiteman said the transponders, which look like a television remote control, allow teachers to poll the class to see if they're understanding the lesson and are ready to move on without being embarrassed.
"It's a way to get 100 percent participation in the classroom," Whiteman said. "It doesn't matter if your son or daughter is on the shy side."
With the additional space in the building, courses like life skills have been expanded to include fundamentals of apartment living. Buffington said students will learn practical life skills that they'll be able to use immediately. There's a new piano lab for students to learn musical basics and a pool for swimming during physical education classes.
But, School Board member Mike Rogers said, there's one big difference between the old middle school and the new building that is sure to make students smile once that first bell rings Thursday.
"My guess is those smiles will be from one thing -- air conditioning," Rogers said.
