LEES CREEK — Renovations are starting at East Clinton’s two elementary buildings, with improved security about to happen.
Sabina’s and New Vienna’s elementary school buildings both have two sets of doors at their entrance way, with a small space between the two sets, and both sets of doors located in front of the building’s main administrative office. That is going to change.
The existing second set of doors will be removed and then placed further back — beyond the entry to the office. Presently, after visitors sound a buzzer to have staff unlock the doors to enter the building, they essentially have direct access to everything, as Supt. Eric Magee put it at Tuesday’s school board meeting.
But with the second set of locked doors set up after the office space, the visitor will, in effect, be forced to physically check in at the office before being permitted to continue into the classrooms and cafeteria area where school children spend their day.
This security upgrade is expected to be completed prior to the beginning of the new school year at East Clinton on Sept. 7.
One of the elementary principals, Sabina Principal Matthew Willian, gave a report to the board of education. He said the enrollment projection that day was for up to 390 students in the building at the start of the academic year.
There are 10 new staffers at the Sabina building and the new employees took a bus tour of the town of Sabina, he said, meant to give the new people some context and to better understand what the community is like.
Among the new staff are three new intervention specialists, a new social worker, three paraprofessionals, and a new art teacher for both Sabina and New Vienna, Wendy Ellis. She is a professional mural artist who previously taught in Pike County, said Willian.
New East Clinton Middle School Principal Matt Melnek reported one of the goals for the middle school is to increase its presence in the community by providing resources to families and planning events to support local organizations.
Accordingly, for the Wednesday, Sept. 1 open house for the middle and high schools in Lees Creek, Melnek plans on a food truck(s) event to help draw more people into the open houses as well as to support some local food truck businesses.
Sabina Elementary’s Building Leadership Team will do a book study and examine the middle school’s discipline plan in an effort to make it focus more on the whole child, said the principal.
Also at the Sept. 1 open houses of the high school and middle school there will be a vaccination clinic. The clinic will have vaccinations that are required for students entering the 7th grade. These students are required to have a Tdap booster vaccine and Meningococcal (MCV4) vaccine. Students must turn in a record of vaccination or an exemption form before the 10th day of school.
COVID-19 vaccines for youth 12 and older also will be available at this open-house clinic. These vaccinations are not required. There will be a sign-up form on East Clinton’s website for parents to sign up their children if they wish to take part, said the superintendent.
Reach Gary Huffenberger at 937-556-5768.
