By Janine Davis Record Staff Writer Wright City R-II teachers are prepping and parents are finishing shopping for school supplies signaling the start of a new school year. Classes resume this Monday for the R-II district. “We’re gearing up to have everything in place in the next few days,” said R-II Superintendent Dr. Chris Gaines. A big part of the preparations took place over the summer with renovations and other improvements to district facilities. The highly visible Wildcat-blue metal roof over the middle school that had paint flaking off has been replaced with a more durable material that won’t peel, Gaines said. Piles of roofing materials that earlier were part of the summer landscape at the building are gone, and so is the multi-blue effect of crumbling paint on the roof that many acknowledged was an eyesore. “The new system of materials is one we’ve successfully used on flat roofs, so we know it will be better,” said Gaines. The district also completed work on the Wright City East Elementary School’s parking lot, which was resealed and painted with new parking lines. In addition, Gaines said that West Elementary School — now in its 25th year — was updated with new heating and cooling units as part of the district’s multi-year HVAC maintenance program that is replacing old units at the end of their life cycle. A new concrete sidewalk along the south side of the athletic complex also was installed over the summer, and will make foot traffic easier for spectators at athletic events. All of the work was spelled out in the district’s long-range facilities plan developed several years ago. While work outside is wrapped up, administrators and teachers are back inside the halls, classrooms and offices making final preparations. “We had all the new teachers in last Friday, and have been doing student engagement training and holding open houses this week,” said Gaines. “We’ll all convene as a staff on Thursday.” Gaines noted that enrollment is up from last year, and while numbers aren’t expected to lock in until later in September, he expects total enrollment to increase by about 50 students over last year. He also said that all spots for the district’s new pre-kindergarten program are full, and that there is a waiting list.
R-II school district ready for classes to start Monday
