School gets going despite fire, traffic jamsBy Andy Paras (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Grace Beahm Teacher Ann Smith, holding a school map, helps students locate their classes on the first day of school at Cane Bay High. Previous storiesBerkeley officials tour Cane Bay facilities, published 05/15/08 Cane Bay High draws praise from crowd at dedication, published 08/11/08 Cane Bay High awes teachers; Elated faculty members get to tour spacious school under construction, published 03/29/08 MONCKS CORNER — Neither a lightning strike nor a school bus fire could stop the first day at Berkeley County's massive new Cane Bay High School on Monday. The 6:30 a.m. fire was quickly extinguished and the 25 students on board were taken, unscathed, to school in another bus. Meanwhile, scores of other students and parents sat in cars that inched along U.S. Highway 176 and other two-lane roads as a result of the ensuing traffic jam. "It was horrific," parent Jervinia Herndon said after being stuck in traffic for an hour. "We really didn't know what was going on." Herndon's 14-year-old daughter, Stephanie, was among scores of students who arrived late. She and others were welcomed by a staff whose smiling faces and reassuring voices seemed to wipe away the stress. No one would be marked late on this day. "Sometimes things happen," Principal Cassandra Jennings told one student who came in late. "What you make of it is what matters." No one missed the first bell of the day because there was no first bell. Lightning had knocked out the bell and some other things the night before, but it was fixed later that morning. Jennings kept the positive attitude going. "We're just going to have a regular, normal school day," she said. All in all, it was a great opening day for the new school and the district, Superintendent Chester Floyd said. Berkeley County built the 386,000-square-foot school off U.S. 176 between Summerville and Goose Creek to address overcrowding at Stratford High and the growth expected to arrive with two massive subdivisions in that area. The $75 million school can hold up to 1,500 students. Jennings said more than 600 freshmen and sophomores showed up. The school won't have its first graduating class until 2010. Most students found their homerooms rather easily, thanks to an orientation last week. Jennings stood in the school's large atrium when the crowd of kids suddenly disappeared into their classrooms, leaving only silence for the first time all morning. Jennings smiled. "I'm just enjoying the moment." |
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Comments
This article has 3 comment(s)
Posted by iceman1978 on August 19, 2008 at 11:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)
When we lived overseas our house was close enough so you could walk to school. In the neighborhoods that were further away the bus would only stop about every kilometer. I don't understand why the school buses here have to stop every 100 yards. It would probably be better for the kids health if they had to walk a bit to get to the bus. Our house was about two kilometers (1.5 miles) or so and was a good exercise each morning. There was never any need for me to take the bus to get home. Once in a blue moon though I would take a taxi if it was raining real bad.
Posted by cte on August 19, 2008 at 11:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It's the new coach's faulty.
Cruce curse.
Posted by STREETLAW on August 19, 2008 at 11:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
What a waste of space. By carefully designing curriculum to classroom proximity, students would be able to simply walk into adjoining classroom for their next subject. And in some instances the teachers might have to move to another classroom and not the students.
That might leave some chubby cheek teachers a little short of breath, but it could have reduced the size of this school by half, and cut $25,000,000 off the cost.