Norris School District

We've got more space!

            -One of the major benefits of the new middle school construction that has gone largely unnoticed in the excitement of new construction to our west is the fact that the high school now expands to take over all that square footage formerly occupied by grades 6-8.  The space is very welcome and much needed for our high school’s expanding population and thriving instructional program.  Benefits of the increased space include:

            *Every teacher has an assigned classroom space.  We reached a point several years ago where the number of teachers in the high school exceeded the facility’s capacity of high school rooms.  The lack of open classrooms necessitated several teachers move around to different classroom locations throughout the day, as classrooms were deemed ‘open’ when another teacher had a planning period and what otherwise was considered his or her ‘home’ classroom was commandeered by another teacher for a period so instruction could go on.  The managerial challenges of moving from room to room throughout the day are fairly evident.  These nomadic teachers gathered their materials as best they could and scrambled on to their next classroom location, period to period.  They learned to plan methodically and to travel light to get through the halls and down to their next classroom in the passing period.  Now, these teachers & all Norris HS teachers have their own classrooms.  This means that each teacher has the freedom and the responsibility to create a unique classroom environment that promotes learning and fosters positive relationships.  Teachers will have their materials readily accessible and will be able to configure their rooms in terms of seating and storage in the manner that best promotes student learning and meshes with their lesson design.

            *Work space is also expanded in several crucial areas.  The counseling department is moving out of the main office area and down to the office areas at the west end of the high school.  The career center is moving into this area as well and the configuration of the room should provide an optimal environment for this purpose.

            *Student crowding in the hallways will be much alleviated.  The new breathing room is fantastic.  Having more room – and rooms – for students will be highly beneficial.  The climate of the school is very different when students are able to move about without stepping on or over one another to get to class!  The difference in space will be immediately apparent to any parent or volunteer who has been in the high school in the last several years and ventures in again this year.  The traffic jams in what was formerly ‘freshman hallway’ in the south wing used to rival the I-80 / 680 snarls for Omaha commuters and were legendary.  Not so any more!  Traffic should be flowing at a brisk and uninterrupted pace during passing periods this year.