By KARI BLURTON
Hays Post

ELLIS — USD 388 administrators and Ellis High School are making plans for a small remodeling project to accommodate the relocation of seventh and eighth graders to the high school this fall.

“We need to add one more classroom to make this happen,” said EHS Principal Corey Burton. “We have a fairly large library/media center. … We have never remodeled that in the forms of painting and carpet. That has been the last one on our list.”

Burton said the plan calls for one part of the library/media center to be remodeled as a classroom and the other part will be updated and remain the library/media center.

“We want to make that library area a more inviting place for kids,” Burton said.

Earlier this month, the USD 388 Board of Education voted to move seventh and eighth graders to the high school.

The move will provide more space for increasing elementary enrollment at Washington Grade School, and also increase efficiency. For years, seventh and eighth grade students have been bused back and forth between the two buildings for classes such as algebra and band.

Burton said the frequent busing of the middle school students to the high school will make the full-time transition easier, but there has been a bit of concern from parents about grouping the younger students with the older students.

“We know there is always fear of change and change is hard, but we feel just having them up here already helps,”: he said. “For instance, my daughter is a freshman, but her eighth grade year, she was in our (high school) building four hours of the seven-hour day … and we have had really no issues.

“So I think the transition is a lot easier now instead of just trying to do it all at once,” he added. “The fact (they) were here for a significant part of the day (already), I think that eased a lot of people’s concerns.”