A new favorite place

JOHNS ISLAND -- Haut Gap Middle School Principal Paul Padron prefaces the tour of the school's new media center with, "This is another one of my favorite rooms."

It's easy to understand why. A wall of curved windows looks out onto a field dotted with massive oak trees, and Padron can envision a time in the near future when students will sit inside and outside, enjoying the view with a good book.

"It's absolutely beautiful," he said.

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Haut Gap

The new Haut Gap Middle School on Johns Island

Haut Gap Middle students will move into an $18 million building that has all the niceties of a big school, such as Moultrie Middle School, except on a smaller scale. It's a rural school, but the district didn't cut back in any area - technology, design, furniture or security - because of it, said Bill Lewis, executive director of the district's building program.

"It's just a classy building," Padron said. "I think this is what a school should look like -- bright, open and airy."

With a capacity of 450 students, the building is far from the largest in the district. But Padron said it doesn't have to be massive; it's exactly the size it needs to be. Padron expects his roughly 250-student school to grow relatively quickly as a result of its popular Advanced Studies Magnet program and the likely opening of a Sixth Grade Academy targeted at improving students' literacy.

Teachers have been moving into their new classrooms since last week, and students will make the move to the new space on Tuesday. Faculty members have been taking small groups of students on tours to familiarize them with the new building and hopefully kindle ownership of it. Padron wants students to feel comfortable so that on their first day in the new space, they are immersed in a full day of instruction.

Officials constructed the new building behind the existing one, and they plan to tear down the school's current building this spring. Lewis said the district will work with the Charleston Park and Recreation Commission to develop that space into athletic fields in the same way they've worked together in other rural communities, such as St. James-Santee Elementary School in McClellanville and the former Schroder Middle School in Hollywood.

The new Haut Gap Middle has improved security features that enable officials to better control visitors' access. One of its signature features is a grand staircase at the entrance that's surrounded by exposed brick walls and windows. It's another one of Padron's favorite places because he said it's a comfortable, welcoming place for parents and students.

The building is U-shaped, and each grade level will occupy a hallway. A fourth hallway is reserved for related arts, including band and choir, and services, such as Communities in Schools. Each grade has a teacher workroom, resource classrooms for students with special needs and a science lab equipped with gas and water. The school's current building has only one science lab, and teachers have to cart in whatever materials they need for experiments, Padron said.

The school, for the first time, has classrooms designed to accommodate the lessons that will be taught there, such as art and music. And like every other new district building, every classroom has a new SmartBoard, computers and furniture.

The school's designer, Gantt Huberman Architects, sacrificed office space for instructional spaces, and classrooms will comfortably hold 30 students. The rooms have large windows that mostly overlook the school's natural surroundings, and warm shades of red, yellow, blue and green accent walls, floors and lighting fixtures throughout the school. Hallways are wide, and classrooms that line the inside of the two-story building overlook a courtyard.

The school has a new air-conditioned gym that will include a rock-climbing wall, and its full-service cafeteria has an area that can double as a stage. Tall, curved floor-to-ceiling windows flood the space with light.

"Who wouldn't want to eat here?" Padron joked.

Yvette Miller has taught for 38 years in Haut Gap Middle's current building. Despite its inadequacies, she loves it and feels sad about leaving because it holds so many good memories.

Still, she understands that it's time for change and a new building, and she's looking forward to having more access to computers and technology. The current space doesn't have enough to meet students' and teachers' demands, she said.

A week before the new building was set to open, Miller already had set up her classroom. She said she wants it to be a place that students want to come, and she predicted the new environment will be a good motivator for encouraging students to learn.

"It's a blessing for our kids to be able to go into a new building," she said.

And as much as Padron looks forward to spending time in all of his new "favorite rooms," he's keeping it in perspective.

"This is not what makes our instruction," he said. "This is a perk. The magic happens in the classroom."

At a glance

Total cost: $18 million

Capacity: 450 students

Size: 77,000 square feet

Interesting fact: The city's Design Review Board reviewed the project to ensure that the building is in keeping with the local architecture of Johns Island.

District upgrade: The new school is part of a $495 million capital program that the school board approved in 2005. When the building program is finished this year, the district will have 17 new school buildings, two major additions or renovations to existing schools, four new sites for schools or athletic facilities and seven design plans for new schools.

Reach Diette Courrégé at dcourrege@postandcourier.com or 937-5546.