Franklin Regional prepares to open doors to new primary, intermediate elementary schools

Teacher, administrator and staff comments about Franklin Regional’s new elementary campus largely center around a similar theme: possibilities.

From new large-group instruction areas to creative media centers to little “pocket” areas where small groups can meet, collaborate or receive additional learning support, new educational opportunities are scattered throughout both the renovated FR Primary School and the brand-new FR Intermediate School.

“Everyone is excited about the possibilities,” said Tina Gillen, the district’s communications director. “Everything is designed in a specific way that is aimed toward collaboration.”

Following roughly three years of planning and community meetings, the $54 million project was awarded in June 2019, and while some construction materials have been delayed in arriving, both buildings will be ready for students on Aug. 23.

An emphasis on being able to shift easily was clear during a tour Thursday, a few days before the 2021-’22 school year gets under way for Panther students.

In the intermediate library, not only is the furniture movable, but so are most of the bookshelves.

“What’s great is that it’s big enough that it’s able to change,” said intermediate librarian Jennifer Beck. “In the old space, we just didn’t have room to put out things like Discovery kits and other items the kids can use to explore. Now, there are a lot of collaborative spaces and areas for group work.”

The days of band instruments being stored wherever students could find space are over, with a storage area customized to suit the band’s needs.

Classroom lockers have been shifted from inside the classroom to communal areas in the hallways, in order to maximize class space.

Even restrooms have been reorganized to be more efficient, set up much the way a public event would be staged, with a unisex row of self-contained units and a communal sink area.

“That was kind of a tricky one to explain to people,” Gillen said. “It was a little controversial until we had some open houses and parents were able to actually come in and see how they are set up.”

At the intermediate school, movable barriers can create one gigantic space that includes the gymnasium and the new Creative and Performing Arts Center. But those same barriers can partition four separate spaces allowing for not just multiple classrooms, but also a simple hallway to move students through the area without disrupting instruction.

And while much of the former Sloan Elementary School is the same, it now features an expanded cafeteria, a new kindergarten wing — which is timely considering the district is seeing one of its largest incoming kindergarten classes in recent years, Gillen said — and renovated classrooms.

“What we’ve really tried to focus on is very specific opportunities for STREAM instruction, increased opportunities for collaborations,” Gillen said. “We have a new creative arts program for kindergarten through fifth grade, and we’ve tried to maximize the amount of space we have for performances.”

Students return to Franklin Regional schools on Monday.