New auditorium, playground highlight Clinton schools return
With Clinton Elementary School sporting a new auditorium, and a new playground on its way, Clinton City Schools is wrapping up its first month back in school.
Students returned to school on Friday Aug. 1.
Director of Schools Kelly Johnson told The Courier News Kindergarten that for kindergarten through sixth grade, enrollment is 932.
Thirty more enrolled in pre-kindergarten programs.
City schools include Clinton Elementary, North Clinton Elementary and South Clinton Elementary.
“It’s always just a joy to have the kids come back in the building,” Johnson said. “Kids. That’s where the joy is.”
Clinton Elementary School students now have a new auditorium. The work also included repairs or replacement of the ceiling, sound panel and lights, totaling about $125,000, said Scott Rhea, the schools’ fiscal director.
That school however, also plans to add a new playground. Johnson gave updates on that project to Clinton City Council at its Monday Aug. 13 meeting, saying that the equipment had arrived, but workers had yet to install it. She said Miracle, the playground company, said it plans to start installing the equipment the day after Labor Day, Sept. 2.
“They said that all the stuff has been delivered,” she told The Courier News.
“They’ve just gotten behind due to the intense heat,” she said, adding that the company’s other projects were also a factor.
“We have had an amazing beginning,” Johnson said of the new school year, adding that enrollment has held steady. “The kids and teachers are settling into routines and it’s going well.”
Johnson also said the school system’s Blaze extracurricular activities have begun. These include cross country, dance, cheerleading and band.
Blaze did its basketball tryouts on Monday, bringing in 45 fourth- through sixth-graders for the boys’ team, Johnson said.
“Lots of good things are happening,” she said.
