Kiski Area prepping for 'school within a school' when classes start

The Kiski Area School District is banking on a few well-placed partitions, abundant signage and flexible attitudes to fit six grade levels into its high school when classes start next week.

Calling it a “school within a school,” the district will place seventh and eighth graders in the high school this year while Kiski Area Intermediate School is renovated.

Work there got underway in June. So far, they’re on track in terms of time and cost, representatives from construction management firm PJ Dick said last month.

Before middle school faculty, staff and students can enjoy the fruits of the $25 million renovation — including heightened security, more common areas and an overhauled library — they must endure a tight squeeze with their counterparts at the high school through at least 2025.

The district enrolls about 540 middle school students and 1,130 high school students, according to the Pennsylvania Future Ready Index.

Faculty returned Aug. 26, and students will arrive Tuesday.

Seventh and eighth graders will occupy one of the high school’s three main sections, getting their own gymnasium, nurse, bathrooms and more. There also will be several shared spaces, such as the library, technology classrooms and auditorium.

“I think, for a lot of us, it’s ‘eyes on the prize,’ ” said Robert Capanna, an eighth grade science teacher. “After that, we’ll be the envy of the district.”

Arrival and dismissal

High school buses will pull up to the main entrance, while middle school students will go to a side door near a new parking lot between the two schools.

For late drop-offs and early pickups, students should head to a temporary trailer installed next to the freshly paved parking lot. This trailer is, or soon will be, equipped with automatically locking doors and an intercom. It’s connected to the permanent structure through a wooden foyer.

School board President Todd Sterlitz said he initially questioned how secure some of these stopgap measures could be, but a look around the building assuaged his fears.

“ ‘Temporary anything’ gives you that feeling,” Sterlitz said.

Food service

The upper cafeteria will be reserved for middle school students and the lower one for high school students. In both attached courtyards with picnics tables, the district has swapped out grass for stone.

A faculty room is attached to the upper cafeteria, alongside a classroom with computers.

Some additional pub tables have been purchased for the room next to the main lobby, which is now home to a remote kitchen that will serve hot breakfast and lunch but not extras. According to high school Principal Chad Roland, the school has been mulling this change for years.

Classrooms

For the most part, intermediate school classrooms are clustered near the new parking lot. Chorus, band, art and technology classes will take place closer to the student lot, in the 500 wing.

Roland noted students still will be expected to arrive on time for class as in any other year.

“We’re not asking them to walk across the Himalayas,” Roland said. “You’re still good unless you’re lollygagging.”

Middle and high school kids separated

Furthermore, students will not be permitted to wander freely between the two segments of the building. Two school resource officers, teachers and administrators will be stationed throughout the halls during the first few weeks of school to direct traffic and snuff out potential issues.

“The expectation is that there’s not going to be middle school students in the high school side except going to class and back,” Roland said.

Bell schedules will be staggered so that, except for brief overlap at a point or two throughout the day, middle and high school students won’t change classes at the same time.

Each student in the building will have their own locker, but not everyone will get personal space.

A few world language teachers will have to move between multiple classrooms, according to Roland.

Jennifer Galmoff, an eighth grade English teacher, said she’s trying to look at the positives of the situation, other than the renovated building on the horizon. For one, her pupils will feel much more comfortable moving on to high school by the end of the year, and she’s looking forward to meeting new faculty.

“After a week or two, everyone will learn their way,” Galmoff said. “I came into this very nervous, and I wouldn’t say it’s going to be OK if I didn’t think it’ll be OK.”