CULLMAN, Ala. – Cullman City Schools and Cullman County Schools are gearing up for a brand new school year. Both systems resume classes Aug. 7.
“I am always in amazement at the amount of work and dedication our teachers and staff show each year to prepare for the upcoming school year, and this one is no exception,” exclaimed Cullman City Schools Superintendent Dr. Susan Patterson. “While the students have enjoyed their summer breaks, worked on their extra-curricular activities and had some well-earned rest and relaxation, the schools that make up Cullman City Schools have been a buzz of activity all summer long. From the normal of freshly cleaned and waxed floors to new and exciting program offerings for students, school and district leaders have been working to make improvements.”
Patterson said Cullman City Primary School was awarded another year of the Office of School Readiness Grant to fund 4-year old PreK. It also has a new 2,000-square-foot playground.
East Elementary worked on its floor restoration project, while West Elementary’s teachers’ lounge got an update. Landscaping work was done at both campuses.
Patterson said, district-wide, the system’s maintenance department will be completing the removal of all carpeted areas in classrooms and refinishing hardwood or installing new flooring.
The traffic route from the Cullman High School student parking lot has changed. All vehicles exiting CHS will turn right. All vehicles exiting Cullman Primary School at Hoehn Drive will turn right.
“This will eliminate crossover traffic and increase the flow of traffic exiting the CCPS and CHS campuses,” said Patterson.
The faculty and staff at Cullman County Schools have been hard at work all summer in preparation for the new year. Each school had its own work to do, some making major improvements and renovations to the campus, with others doing routine cleaning and painting.
At Holly Pond schools, the shared lunchroom has had renovations. There are also plans to build a new home economics facility with two new classrooms for the high school; however, the starting date and timeline for completion are unknown.
Superintendent Dr. Shane Barnette said construction should be starting “any day now.”
Vinemont Middle School had major renovations to its library including a new circulation desk, new flooring and additions of an instructional lab, STEM stations, computer stations and student study areas. Air conditioning is being installed in the gym.
The field house at West Point schools has been bricked. All hallways and some classrooms at the high school have been painted. Security locks are being installed an doors and new TV added in the hallways. The elementary school has a new roof.
Good Hope High School has repainted hallways and finished a large electrical upgrade that will allow the use of multiple machines and appliances in the same room without flipping a breaker. Air conditioning is being installed in the gym, many doors and handrails are being painted, and several areas are currently being pressure-washed.
Fairview Middle School has new benches for students to use while waiting for parents to pick them up, and fresh paint is being applied to the bathrooms and school exterior. The middle school is also undergoing a major system upgrade, though details on the new system will be unavailable until the project is finished. The high school has installed a new handicap ramp and is repairing the roof.
The Cold Springs lunchroom is getting a major electrical/HVAC upgrade, and the high school gym is getting a new roof. Many areas around the elementary school are being repaved.
Phase 1 of the Cullman County Child Development Center playground renovation has been completed.
No details were given on other schools in the system.
