February 14, 2025
By: Dwayne Page
Classroom walls will soon be going up at DeKalb Middle School.
During Thursday night’s regular monthly meeting, the Board of Education approved an agreement for an architect to design a plan for classroom walls to be added at DeKalb Middle School. Bids will later be sought and awarded for the project which could be started by summer.
When DeKalb Middle School was built in the early 1970s, it was designed with open classroom spaces without walls, a frequently used model among elementary schools at the time across the country. In the years since, efforts have been made to get away from that concept, but no permanent walls have been added.
In an effort to improve student learning, safety, and to reduce noise, Director of Schools Patrick Cripps said the time has come to make a change at DeKalb Middle School.
“This has been a long time coming. We have been working with the fire marshal and I’ll have to give Aaron Young and our maintenance department credit for the work they have done trying to get an agreement so we can enclose all of our classrooms,” said Director Cripps. “We have several classrooms on the corners that are open and this would allow us to be able to close those classrooms off to reduce noise but also for safety. This (action) allows us to go forward with that building program so we can start getting bids and hopefully get this construction project underway this summer,” said Director Cripps.
Meanwhile the board is taking the next step toward the eventual construction of a new elementary school near the Northside Elementary School Campus on North Congress Boulevard. The board approved plans for a topographical survey of the property.
Prior to the vote Director Cripps thanked the cities for voting to extend their existing sales tax agreements with the county to help fund the new school project as well as the county for its commitment to build it.
In his monthly report on personnel moves, Director Cripps said Wade Dunnaway at DeKalb West School and Brittany Weller at DCHS have been hired as teachers and the following have been granted a leave of absence as requested: Britney Gulley, Josh Gulley, Adrienne McCormick, Emily Wheeler, and Kason Wheeler.
The Board also approved school calendars for the three-year period of 2026-27; 2027-28, and 2028-29
Meanwhile the DCHS Prom this spring will be held off campus at the Mill in Lebanon as approved by the Board.