Clarke Middle School Principal Dr. Amanda Gorham stands outside of the CMS Administration trailer on Sept. 25. Following the start of construction on the new building in January 2023, CMS students transitioned into trailer classrooms for the 2023-24 school year. “We’re praying that the new building opens on time, but it’s coming up pretty quickly. It’s amazing to see the progress, so we’re optimistic,” Gorham said. Photo by Aza Khan
Construction of Clarke Middle School’s new building has been underway while the students have been phased into trailer classrooms.
Construction on Clarke Middle School kicked off with the issuance of the land disturbance permit from Athens-Clarke County in January 2023. Since then, construction has been underway and students have been required to adapt to the hybrid building-trailer format.
According to John Gilbreath, Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST) Director of Facility Planning and Construction, CMS was originally built in 1958 as Clarke Junior High School. The building then underwent four renovations and additions from 1963 to 2004, later using SPLOST 2 and 3 to fund minor updates to the building’s infrastructure from 2012 to 2022.
“Even though Clarke Middle had had some renovations, they were kind of nearing the end of their life cycle on some of the equipment,” Gilbreath said. “(They were) also undersized from a space standpoint.”
Talks of renovations began amidst SPLOST 5, with $10 million allocated from July 2017 to June 2022 for construction. However, after deliberation and cost estimates made by the CMS Local Building Committee (LBC), renovation costs were 70 to 80% of complete rebuilding costs, prompting the decision to develop a new building instead of renovating the old one. Construction commenced with the demolition of two grade level hallways in the 2022-23 school year, while trailers were installed to make up for the lack of space and serve as the 2023-24 school year classrooms for sixth, seventh and eighth graders.
The original Clarke Middle School entrance is shown. Upon the start of construction and demolition of the old building, students were integrated into trailer classrooms and, so far, the new temporary buildings have been working well for CMS eighth grader Edie Ash. “They’re actually kind of an upgrade from the building because the building is really rundown. The air conditioning and the trailers is a lot better and so are the bathrooms,” Ash said. Photo by Aza Khan
“The students have reacted pretty well to (the trailers),” CMS Instructional Coach Kathryn Brown said. “The pods are bigger than what they had in the building (and) they’re brand new, so a lot of the issues that they were having in the building, they’re not having out in the pods.”
To CMS eighth grader Edie Ash, the transition from the main building to the trailer classrooms has been a positive experience.
“They’re actually an upgrade from the building because the building is really rundown. The air conditioning in the trailers is a lot better and so are the bathrooms,” Ash said.
CMS Media Center Specialist Shawn Hinger has worked in the building for 21 years and despite the dispersion of the school’s students, the renovation has not impacted the daily operations of the CMS Media Center.
“I have not seen a whole lot of change in the way students visit our Media Center,” Hinger said. “We still have class visits each week and students are still able to visit on their own with passes to check out books or to have their Chromebooks repaired as usual.”
With the dispersion of students, security has expanded across both the main building and trailer classrooms. However, the new security system, the name of which is not privy to the public, has assisted in monitoring traffic between the buildings.
“We are spread thin (but) I’ve been pretty impressed,” Brown said. “They have these camera doorbells on the trailers so the kids have to be buzzed in. So there’s not a lot of traffic in and out of the school.”
CMS parent Brian Ash has confidence in the security personnel and administration.
“I don’t worry about it too much,” Brian said. “(I) trust Dr. Gorham and the teachers and everybody involved. They’re doing the best they can to keep the kids safe from rain, from outside people trying to come in on campus. Everybody’s doing their job.”
“(The trailers are) actually an upgrade from the building because the building is really rundown. The air conditioning in the trailers is a lot better and so are the bathrooms.”
— Edie Ash,
CMS eighth grader
The final schematics for the new building were developed by Lindsay Pope Brayfield & Associates (LPB) while construction is being led by Grahl Construction. According to Gilbreath, the design process for the final building was collaborative, with input taken into consideration from school community members and the CMS LBC.
“I was able to look at the blueprints and let them know what I need as far as storage and shelving, and I will get to meet with the furniture designer soon,” Hinger said. “It’s all so exciting and I cannot wait for our students to be able to use this new space.”
While the age of the building and its facilities were contributing factors to the decision to renovate, the size of the building also became a prominent issue. With a rising student population – as seen in a 6.45% enrollment growth trend documented by CCSD from 2014 to 2020 – and the need to accommodate more instructors, a larger building was needed.
“The reason it got bigger wasn’t just student population. It was all the extra teachers,” CCSD ESPLOST Project Manager Troy Bassett said. “We have teacher planning rooms on every floor, they don’t have that at all now, we have teacher break rooms on every floor, they don’t have that now. There’s all of those extra things that (are) above and beyond just classrooms for kids.”
A juxtapose displays the Clarke Middle School site master plan and front aerial rendering. Due to the short time-frame that construction must take place, efficient materials sourcing has seen some difficulties according to John Gilbreath, Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST) Director. “We like to call them opportunities. So, mechanical units are still a long lead item, electrical components, switchgear, things like that. We did have to change the design of the main switch gear for the facility because the one that was originally designed, we couldn’t get for a year and a half and we needed it in a year,” Gilbreath said. Photos courtesy of the Clarke County School District
CMS Instructional Coach Mollie Schubach has analmost 30 year history with the building. From her father Dr. Ken Sherman’s time as an administrator from 1992 to 2009, to her own attendance from 2005 to 2008 and her hiring as a teacher in 2016, Schubach has seen the spacial concerns grow.
“Our gym has remained virtually unchanged since the building was first built in the 1950s,” Schubach said. “In fact, the gym is so small and outdated that it does not meet regulation size for volleyball games. The size constraints also pose challenges for assemblies and other gatherings.”
The new building will be ready in time for the 2024-25 school year, with Phase 2 of construction to commence over June and July of 2024.
“Next summer is going to be a challenge because we have two months to tear the rest of the school down and get part of the parking lot in for the parent-bus drop off,” Gilbreath said. “The main sewer line connection runs through the old building, so we have to get it down and out of the way and reconnected so we have a sewer line to be able to use the kitchen.”
The Clarke Middle School construction site and trailers are shown. Phase 1 of construction for the new CMS building will be concluded by the summer of the 2023-24 school year, with Phase 2 commencing in June and July of 2024, according to John Gilbreath, Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST) Director. “When school’s out this coming summer, we’ll tear down the rest of the existing school and we’ll build the Phase 2 part, which is the rest of Administration, (the) Health Clinic and the gymnasium. So, in Phase 1, we’re able to build the kitchen cafeteria, special-(education) component (and) Media Center,” Gilbreath said. Photos by Aza Khan
As an eighth grader, Edie will not have the opportunity to attend CMS in its new building. However, she still looks forward to the progress that’s made.
“It is a little frustrating because we got the worst of it. We got the worst of the building and then we had to be in trailers and we don’t even get the new building, but it’s okay,” Ash said. “I look forward to (the new building) because my siblings are gonna go there, so I’ll still get to see a little bit of it. I just wish I could be in it and go to school there.”
In anticipation of the new building, CMS Principal Dr. Amanda Gorham hopes to revive school culture in the new building.
“(I’m looking forward to) being back in a space where I don’t have to go to three separate spaces to see my classrooms, even though I’ll get some steps in next year because there’ll be stairs,” Gorham said. “But really, (I’m) looking at bringing everybody back together. I think (that’s) the biggest thing.”
To long-time residents like Schubach, the leveling of the old building will be bittersweet, though long-awaited.
“The original building holds massive significance for countless individuals, myself included. That being said, the infrastructure of our current building is falling apart,” Schubach said. “I am thrilled that it is being completely demolished so that our CMS community can finally work and learn in a building that is beautiful, up-to-date and a place that all stakeholders can be proud to call their community school.”
Story by Cadence Schapker
Package by Anna Shaikun
