Clarksville Elementary students welcome visitors to their improved school



CLARKSVILLE - With cheerful smiles and excited voices, Clarksville Elementary students greeted residents and parents at an open house last Thursday.
"Welcome to Clarksville Elementary School," chorused a group of children awaiting visitors in the school's foyer.

Students led tours, which showcased the newly renovated school. The cost of the Clarksville project was $2.9 million, part of a $93 million Bethlehem School District bond project that was approved by voters in 2003.

Fifth-grader Erin Hogan guided The Enterprise through the halls of the school, giving detailed explanations of what was new in each location, as well as what it was like prior to the remodeling project.

The tour began in the front office, where the school's secretary, Kathy Haege, warmly welcomed visitors and asked that they please sign in, so that Principal Dorothy McDonald, who had broken her hip and was unable to attend, could see who had turned out for the event.

Haege said she is thrilled with her new office, which is now located adjacent to the school's main entrance. She explained, with excitement, that a new security system was also installed.

The school's doors will lock every morning after the students arrive, she said. When visitors come, Haege can talk to them over an intercom system, and can watch a live video of the entrance; she views the picture on a screen located on a small box in the corner of her desk, she said.

Clarksville Elementary School has 273 students, Haege said.

The school has a new cafetorium - a cafeteria that is also used as an auditorium, Hogan explained. It is great, she said, because the stage is much bigger. She explained that, in previous years, students were scrunched on a small stage during school plays.

One wall in the new cafetorium will become a tile wall, Hogan said. She said that she and her classmates have been working on art projects that will get transferred to tiles and put up on the wall.

The school's library has also been extended, and is equipped with new furniture to complement the additional space. It is Hogan's favorite room, she said.

Hogan's guided tour also included a stroll through the renovated nurse's office, and the new music room, where music teacher Lorraine Guyon was playing soft music and happily greeting visitors.
"This is such a nice way to say thank you to the community," said Guyon of the open house.