Revamped Ohakune school block finished

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 12, 20 September 1994, Page 1

Revamped Ohakune school block finished

Ohakune Primary School's new staffroom and refurbished classroom block was opened at an informal gettogether last Friday. Principal Ellen Gould welcomed staff, Board of Trustees members old and new, and guests. She said many people had worked extremely hard to make the improvements happen. Board chairman Graham Lind acknowledged the hard work of the contractors who worked on the project. He also thanked Ruapehu College and principal Harry Cast for the use of rooms at the College during the construction phase. Past Ohakune School principal Bill Taylor said thousands and thousands of children as well as hundreds of staff will benefit from the improved facilities. A new block contains a new staff room and staff toilet, the principal' s office, the administration secretary's office, a sickbay with its own toilet facilities and wheel chair access, a specialist teacher's office. The refurbished block was completely stripped and remodelled, with new lining, carpets, fittings and lights. Two offices have been turned into one large reading/ resource room and a smaller one has been turned into a teacher's aid working space. An important part of the remodelling has been the upgrading to meet fire safety standards. Fire doors are now fitted at the entrance to the hall and kitchen. The new hall doors have the added advantage of cutting down on noise from the hall to adjacent classrooms. A semi-circular 'withdrawal room' is attached to the two junior classrooms and is accessible from both. The old staffroom is now a classroom/teacher resource room. The total cost of the project was $350,000. The sick bay in the old administration block is now a storage room for the caretaker. Te stationery cupboard and records room remains, the administration secretary's office is being used by a teacher' s aid, and the old principal' s office is now an interview/reading room. The public notice board will remain in the old administration block, and parents and other visitors will now have somewhere (the interview/reading room) to go to read material the boards that they would otherwise have to in the hallways. resources now brought together 0v in place, where parents jA look it in peace. ift* sW/\ remaining is yy / / painting the new S/ / / / OV X/ / / t$? ' /