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Photo by Mike Yoder

In foreground from left, seventh-graders Andrew Denning and Meghan Roush, try to figure out where their next classroom is on the first day of school in South Junior High's new building, Monday, August 20, 2007.

Photo by Mike Yoder

South Junior High School eight-grade English teacher Kelly Hart, foreground, does some preparation work for a class as her colleague, eight-grade English teacher Kathleen Scollon, in background, teaches her class in the school hallway Monday August 20, 2007. South Junior High's first day of school was Monday. Some classrooms, like Hart's and Scollon's, won't be completed for a couple weeks.

More light and no circles.

After a delay of two full school days, South Junior High School students and teachers finally got a glimpse Monday morning of their new $24 million building.

"Better than the old one," eighth-grader Dallas Conway said as he prepared to enter the building.

Conway and his classmates let out a cheer as Principal Will Fernandez welcomed them.

Classes were supposed to start full-time Thursday, as they did at the three other Lawrence junior high schools, but the delay allowed construction workers, administrators and teachers to better prepare classrooms and the building.

As construction continues in parts of the building, administrators reported a few glitches but mostly smooth operations as seventh- through ninth-graders got their schedules and found their way around the building.

"Anything's an improvement over that," said Roger Clouser, a ninth-grade social studies teacher who taught 28 years in the old building, which soon will be demolished and become a parking lot.

Tom Bracciano, the district's division director of operations and facility planning, said that in the morning, room temperatures were warmer than normal in three second-floor classrooms. Technicians were working on the problem and had cooled the building by the afternoon.

District administrators have worked since last week to help teachers prepare classrooms after some teachers were shocked at the state of the building when they first reported to work.

"I was just thankful at how quickly everything is coming together," said Kelly Hart, an English teacher.

Hart wore a yellow hard hat for fun. She will be working in six different classrooms until construction is complete later this fall.

Construction crews expect to finish nearly all classrooms within two weeks, while the auditorium, two gymnasiums and locker rooms are slated to be done later this fall. Some teachers are not in their regular classrooms, and at least three classes meet in a hallway, which the building is partially designed for.

Fernandez gave a passing grade to the traffic pattern on the campus Monday morning, as parents now have to drop students off at Broken Arrow Park. He also said students in physical education classes will be doing less strenuous activity for now because locker rooms are not yet finished.

"Our teachers were very positive throughout this entire process," Fernandez said. "People knew that patience was a good virtue to have."

Bruce Passman, Lawrence's deputy superintendent, and other administrators helped students navigate their way around the hallway to their first class.

The new South has more natural light compared with the old building, a circular structure that had few windows.

"It's a lot bigger. I don't know if I like bigger," ninth-grader Kim Miller said jokingly to her friends.

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