By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
Across Carrboro and Chapel Hill, nearly 12,000 students will strap on their backpacks and kiss summer goodbye, heading back today for the start of the 2011-12 school year.
All summer long, district staff has been busy making improvements to schools, hiring new staff and preparing for the arrival of the students – of which there are significantly more than anticipated by administrators. According to Todd LoFrese, assistant superintendent for support services with Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, staff had anticipated about 11,700 students this school year – but as of Tuesday, enrollment was approaching 12,000. The district won’t have an official enrollment count until the 20th day of school.
New students won’t be the only new faces in the schools. As of Tuesday, 114 new teachers and other staff had been hired.
“The student enrollment being higher than we expected, that is causing us to have to make some August hires that we weren’t originally planning for, because all of those kids need a teacher,†he said.
Though the facilities might be a bit crowded, students are returning to improved schools. Over the summer, new roofs were installed at McDougle Elementary School and to parts of McDougle Middle School, Ephesus Elementary School and Chapel Hill High School.
In addition, more than 120 school bathrooms were renovated and the CHHS gym got a major facelift, with a new floor, lighting and bleachers.
“One of the neat things with that project was how we reused and recycled the materials,†LoFrese said, noting that the wood from the old bleachers will be used in CHHS’ wood shop and materials from the old gym floor will be given to Habitat for Humanity for installation in homes.
Glenwood Elementary School has a new mobile classroom, which will help ease school crowding, while McDougle Elementary’s mobile classroom saw renovations this summer.
Carrboro Elementary School Principal Emily Bivins said the renovations to the school’s bathrooms were much appreciated.
“It was pretty exciting for us because we have an older building,†she said.
Bivins said teachers were busy preparing their classrooms this week for the arrival of students. On Tuesday, the school hosted a meet-the-teacher event, and last week kindergarten students came to the school for a popsicle and play-date event in which they toured the school and took a bus ride.
The first day of kindergarten is Monday, while pre-K starts on Tuesday and Wednesday.