Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

New schools rushed for today’s opening

The first day of school was due to start in less than 40 minutes, but construction crews this morning were still carrying equipment through hallways and nailing down carpet at Lucille S. Rogers Elementary School in southwest Las Vegas.

"There's still a little bit of work to do," Clark County School Superintendent Carlos Garcia said to staff members in the hallway. "I don't know how we did it, but we still got you in."

Teachers, meanwhile, began heading for the school entrance to greet students after an announcement that buses were arriving.

"This is so everyone can find their teacher," said first grade teacher Wendy Wilson, holding up a bright pink sign with her name on it.

Because of a tight construction schedule at three new schools, Wilson, like her fellow teachers, had just one day -- the day before the first day -- to get her classrooms primed.

"I was here for 14 hours," she said, standing inside a classroom meticulously decorated and stocked with supplies for the coming year.

Many had stayed until midnight.

Parents and students were wandering through halls, looking confused about where to go.

"I wasn't sure what time school started," parent Leonie Domingo said. "The phone service here was not working."

All of that aside, Rogers and 12 other new schools today kicked off the start of the 2001-2002 school year.

The ambitious construction schedule comes in response to Las Vegas' rapid growth. Currently the nation's sixth biggest public school system, Clark County was expected to grow from about 231,000 students to 246,000 students this year.

The addition of 16 new schools this year -- four will open midyear -- will bring to 266 the total number of schools in the district. Two elementary schools, an elementary school replacement and a middle school will open in early 2002.

Three new schools on the tightest schedules today were visited by Garcia and other district officials. Construction delays left Rogers, Watson and Darnell elementary schools rushing to meet deadlines.

"We're coming around, so they better be ready," Garcia said prior to the tour.

For the most part, they were.

Yet supplies and some furniture were moved in at the last minute.

Today Garcia marveled at a courtyard area outside the library at Rogers.

"It's amazing," he said. "Two days ago there wasn't anything out there. This place was a mess."

Still awaiting final shipments, librarian Sherida Steffan was stocking shelves with books that already had arrived.

"We will be doing reading today," she said. "We're going to get started."

Rogers wasn't the only school rushing to open.

A staffer at Darnell Elementary early Wednesday morning said office personnel were starting to move in from a temporary office site. At the time, supplies were not even unpacked.

Fred Smith, school district construction manager, said crews this morning were still placing finishing touches on most of the new buildings.

"We're still moving furniture in, we're tweaking the air-conditioning systems and temporary fencing has been put up to make sure children don't wander into areas that are not complete," Smith said.

Crews will be working in the new schools throughout the evening and weekend hours until everything is complete, he added.

Elsewhere in the district, seven schools were working to increase parental involvement. Called the First Day of School Celebration, a second annual event designed for at-risk schools, parents were invited in to meet their child's teacher, spend time at the school and receive information from local businesses and community resources.

Schools participating included Martinez, Kelly, Madison, Fitzgerald, Bracken and Sunrise Acres elementary schools and Roy Martin Middle School.

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