Construction update

A new school year begins Wednesday, August 15, in Noblesville's schools.

The first day of classes signals the near end of construction and renovation at North Elementary School on Tenth Street.

All classrooms, the newly expanded media center, and relocated offices will be ready when children arrive at North although some work outside of those areas remains to be done.

The summer brought the beginning of construction and renovation at Noblesville Intermediate School at 16th Street and Field Drive, and an additional project at Noblesville Middle School on 17th Street.

The intermediate school project includes construction of classrooms, administrative office space and student services, an enlarged and updated media center, and updates throughout the building. The additions will bring student capacity to 1,200.

NIS is home to Noblesville's fifth- and sixth-grade students.

"We are glad to be moving into this project. The building changes go along with the program changes that have been made since NIS opened," said Principal Mike Osha. "We think this will give our building more of an elementary feeling and bring more warmth to the building."

The classroom area is being built on the northwest side of the school. It will include seven classrooms, a multipurpose room to be used partially as an orchestra room and partially as a large group instruction room, and restrooms.

The office area is being built on the north side of the school between the natatorium and the music wing. The area will will include space for administrative and guidance offices, conference rooms, a work room, and the health clinic. The school's main entrance will be located here. A reception area will be located just inside the entrance.

The focal point of the renovated school will be the media center. Now located behind the administrative offices, the media center will be expanded to include the current office space. The entrance to the media center will be located off the main east/west corridor. A second-floor addition on the south end of the media center will provide space for a computer lab which will be accessible both from the media center and second-floor classrooms.

Seating in the cafeteria will be expanded as the stage will be removed. The design will allow the space to continue to be used for presentations and performances.

South of NIS, a retention area is being constructed similar to that on the southeast corner of the Noblesville High School property where practice soccer fields are located. The baseball diamond which had been located behind NIS is being moved to a site near the football stadium.

The drop-off/pick-up site for children whose parents bring them to school in the morning or pick them up in the afternoon has been moved farther east on Field Drive. The buses will continue to utilize the lane on the west side of the building.

The new school year also brings a change in the drop-off/pick-up site for middle school students. Parents are to drive to the Harrison Street side of the school before and after school. The bus zone now is on the south side of the school.

Inside NMS, a portion of the south side of the northeast corridor has been revamped. The area that at one time housed high school industrial arts and industrial technology classes now includes an additional computer lab, two new foreign language rooms - all of which will be ready for use when school begins, and a classroom that eventually will be used for Family and Consumer Science classes.

In addition, the area of the school that had contained the principal's office is being revamped to provide an additional science lab and a larger entrance into the cafeterias.