“It’s the end of an era,” said World Civilizations II and World History teacher Ms. Eleanor Hawkesworth.
Last school year marked Ms. Hawkesworth’s 23rd – and final – year teaching in the trailers. Over the summer, the trailers were deemed “unsafe for student learning.”
“[Our decision] is based on some of the things we felt were unsafe,” said new GMHS Principal Mr. Matt Hills. “What we found when we did the assessment of the trailers is some potential mold, as well as [a] flooring issue.”
Though Hawkesworth only noticed a leak in the back door of her trailer – one that is never opened – her neighbor, U.S Government teacher Mr. Chris Pikrallidas, noted the corroded window frames, the leaks in his room after heavy rain, and the weak spot around the door which was “about to cave in.”
Hawkesworth and Pikrallidas are only two of six teachers whose 14-year-old trailers were assessed in late June.
“The structural integrity of the trailers was the main thing…there were spots where you could poke your finger through,” FCCPS Director of Facilities and Security Service Seve Padilla said.
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The GM administrators and the FCCPS maintenance team were faced with three options: to make repairs and continue using the trailers moving forward; to replace each trailer, costing about $480,000; or to demolish them all (costing about $60,000) and finding new classrooms for the six teachers.
“Could we have a class in [the trailers]?” said Hills. “I’m sure if we made the proper adjustments…It would be a tremendous expense.”
Hills says investing in new trailers wouldn’t be cost effective either considering the new school plan is still uncertain. “It didn’t make sense to put up trailers for [only] a couple more years.”
The final decision was a combination of two.
First, the school made a few adjustments to create classrooms out of the TLC: multi-purpose rooms which in the past were used for study hall, school-wide testing, and conferences of all types. The two large rooms were split by a partition, thus creating four smaller rooms, and were altered to function as regular classrooms.
Second, the school plans to hire a company to demolish trailers 5 and 6 (Hawkesworth’s and Pikrallidis’ trailers) for a cost of $20,000 as, according to Hills, they were the trailers in the worst shape and served no real future purpose. Meanwhile, trailers 1-4 will be kept for general purpose storage.
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Sources have expressed confusion about this decision and the possibility of contaminating stored items with the mold that is already present in the trailers.
“Using them for storage is a little different than using them for classrooms,” Hills said.
Other concerns have risen about overcrowding that could arise in the building for the activities that previously took place in the TLC, however Padilla and Hills suggested options including delayed schedules for certain testing days; isolated testing in different classrooms around the building; and holding meetings and conferences in the library, cafeteria, or any other FCCPS building.
“It’s not like we’re struggling for space, we’re in a good spot,” Hills said.
Ultimately, the decision stands and students will be reporting to the TLC for class starting on September 6, the first day of school. How long this will carry out is unsure, however teachers and staff are cooperating to make it all work.
