Park Creek just one of several Dalton schools with new classrooms

By Mark Millican

Park Creek Elementary not only has a new principal in Rhonda Rowland, but is boasting 14 new classrooms that include a literacy collaboration lab that will be used for teachers-in-training in the areas of reading, writing and speaking.

“I’m thrilled and very happy to be here,” said Rowland. “The teachers have been marvelous and working so hard to get their classrooms ready to welcome the students.”

The first day of class for Dalton Public Schools is Friday.

Rowland is entering her 12th year as a principal. Her previous 11 were spent at Chatsworth Elementary.

“I’m impressed with the (Dalton) district, too,” she added. “They’ve been supportive in every division to make it a smooth transition for me.”

Rowland said Park Creek is expecting approximately 700 students to enroll this school year, approximately 100 more than last year.

But Park Creek is not alone in the Dalton system with its expansion. Blue Ridge Elementary has an additional 16 classrooms, Brookwood Elementary has added 14 classrooms and Dalton Middle’s 10 new classrooms include two science labs.

Safety and security concerns were in mind during the remodeling of Park Creek’s main entrance area, resulting in better visibility for the receptionist on duty. Finished in 1999, the school was designed so that another classroom wing could be added. Work began on the new section in April 2007 at the Heritage Park location in northeast Dalton.

“Hopefully, the work will be done and ready when the youngsters get here next Friday,” said Palmer Griffin last week while motioning toward construction workers. Griffin is overseeing the conclusion of the projects as the director of maintenance and operations.

Blue Ridge Elementary was also designed to be expanded easily. But that was not the case at Brookwood. Built in 1963, growth was “not envisioned in those days,” said Griffin, and the current addition is the third in its history.

Expansion at all four schools was possible due to the educational Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST) passed in September 2006. Dalton Public Schools is receiving 30 percent of the projected $115 million to be raised over five years, with Whitfield schools receiving 70 percent. The measure passed with 76 of the vote.

At Dalton High, the bidding process is under way for a new classroom building that will include a culinary arts program and first-time-ever horticulture program. In addition to regular classrooms, there will be a lecture hall, computer labs, science labs and an expanded dining area. That building is expected to be ready in January 2010.

Griffin said watching over the students is a primary concern in designing any new facilities or additions.

“Safety always comes first,” he said, “then instruction, then other considerations.”

As a former principal in the system — six years at Brookwood and 11 years at Westwood before that — he believes he can look at the projects “constructively.”

“I feel I can bring my principal’s background to this,” he said. “Many of my colleagues (in school operations) come from a construction background, but I feel that I can understand what a teacher or instructor wants.”

Superintendent Orval Porter said it is hard to predict the number of students when school starts on Friday.

“We’ve staffed for enrollment with the same numbers we had last year,” he said. “There’s just no way of knowing until they show up — this year I don’t know how to answer that.”

Although a slumping economy may decrease numbers because of talk that some families left the area, the school system has made room for growth through redistricting.

“We’ve moved students from City Park and Roan Street to Park Creek, Blue Ridge and Brookwood (elementaries) where we’ve added additional classroom space,” Porter said. “But we didn’t project the 4 percent growth we had been doing, but we’ve got room to grow.”

Porter said the “significant thing” about the expansions and redistricting is that no new staff positions were added at any school, which has “helped us financially.”