By Drew Layton
Perry County residents who have driven past the Perry County School District 32 campus in recent months may have noticed a lot of activity, particularly around the Perry County Middle School building.
After students walked out of the middle school on the last day of the 2022-2023 school year, the building officially became redundant. As the new middle school is being furnished and preparations are being made to get it ready for the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, the old middle school is currently in the process of being demolished.
According to Perry County School District Director of Communications Kate Martin, the middle school demolition began with the removal of certain parts of the building, such as the windows and doors, as well as any other usable items. It was then followed up by the removal of the roof.
During the last few weeks of the school year, teachers and students were moving items into the new middle school building.
Martin said teachers were ecstatic to begin the move into the new building — they were ready to get out of the old building, just as the kids were. It was no secret that the student population had outgrown the capabilities of the building.
While furniture and other items were being moved into the new building, work was still being done in order to get it completely ready for the new school year. This week, floors were being waxed and carpet was going down.
Martin said it is worth noting that, if the student population continues to grow, there is room for potential expansion of the new middle school building, with a variety of ways to add to the existing building. There is room on the wings of the building to add up four classrooms in one wing, and in another, potentially eight.
With all of the recent construction and projects nearing completion, there have been questions of “what’s next?” for the school district.
In answer to those questions, Martin pointed to the district’s Comprehensive School Improvement Plan cycle, which began in 2021 and runs through 2026. In the CSIP, there are plans — some of which are not yet finalized — to build a new early childhood area, which is currently housed in the recently completed Primary building.
Other projects and potential projects include a renovation and upgrade of the football stadium, renovations to the track area and the practice field, a new high school building, and a fourth career center building that would be built by students.
With all of the focus on the future, Martin made note of the present, pointing out the high level of enrollment in Camp Curiosity, which is a summer program designed to allow kids to learn throughout the summer in a variety of subjects.
