Neches Elementary and junior high school students started their 2009-10 school year off on the right foot recently by walking into a brand new Neches Elementary and Junior High School building, thanks to a $5.25 million school bond that passed in May 2007. The new building replaces the original elementary campus that was built in 1935.

“It was wonderful,” Elementary and Junior High Principal Kim Snider said about the first day of school in a new building. “We didn’t have one single problem, not even on the junior high side. The staff was outstanding, the kids were good — they know what is expected from them and behave accordingly.”

The new campus has two wings — one wing houses the elementary students in grades K-5 and the other wing houses the junior high students, now grades 6-8.

“We have 15 new classrooms, a new multi-media library and a cafetorium that seats up to 500,” Snider said.

The school also has a new advanced surveillance system with 22 cameras placed all over campus, a new intercom system, a new Samsung phone system and a new Netgear pro-manage network.

“All of the technology was from 4G Custom Technology from Athens — we could not have done this project without them,” Neches ISD Technology Coordinator Justin Cook said.

The classrooms also were equipped with the new SmartBoards with integrated audio and visual systems from Extron Electronics.

Construction on the new facility was completed right before school started, though things around the campus are still being tweaked here and there.

“We started building last November with Berry & Clay from Rusk,” Snider said. “Before school started, everyone helped move everything out of the old campus and into the new campus.”

Snider and Cook were extremely proud that many from the community volunteered over the summer to help in any way they could, noting the community has been very supportive since the beginning of the project.

“We had Grandparent’s Day and Open House last week, and we were packed on both days,” Snider said. “Everyone wants to tour our new facilities.”

Though the junior high campus was moved from the high school campus across the railroad tracks in Neches, the transition has been smooth. It also has given the high school campus a lot more space.

“The two wings function as two separate campuses — there is no interaction between the junior high and elementary — it’s like having two campuses,” Snider said. “They only share the cafetorium and library, which they use at different times.”

By having the elementary and junior high students together has increased school spirit.

“The great thing is we are able to do pep rallies for the junior high teams and build up team spirit,” Snider said. “When we have home games, we have a pep rally at 2:30 p.m. and the elementary kids love it.”

The new cafetorium has electronic bleachers with back rests that can be pushed back to the wall or spread out, depending on its use.

Two computer labs are housed in the new facility — one for the elementary and one for the junior high. New student computers will be delivered shortly.

The new school cafeteria is now fully functional and operates separately from the high school campus with its own staff. There are now two lines

to make it more efficient for the kids to go through.

In the new multi-media library which has a giant screen for movies or Power Point presentations, the book shelves can roll, in case more room is needed for a meeting area.

Due to the construction and future plans, the old playground was removed.

“We are working on plans for a new playground that will be three times the size as the old one. We are hoping to add a walking path to it as well for the students and the community to enjoy,” Snider said.

Currently, Neches ISD is working to raise $150,000 to build the new playground and purchase playground equipment. The school district is seeking local agencies and individuals who want to help and offering naming rights to those who buy equipment for the playground.

For information on how to help with the playground project, call the school at 903-584-3401.