posted July 22, 2008
The Signal Mountain community will join in a celebration of a dream that has become a reality in a way few could have envisioned on Wednesday, July 30, at 5 p.m., and everybody is invited.
Dedication of the new Signal Mountain Middle/High School will feature remarks by County Mayor Claude Ramsey, Hamilton County Commissioner Richard Casavant, School Board representative Chip Baker, Hamilton County School Superintendent Jim Scales, architect Andrew Hausler and Principal Eddie Gravitte, but the star of the evening will be the spectacular new building which will open its doors to classes Aug. 12.
"This is a world class school," said Mr. Gravitte. "Over a million dollars has been invested in technology alone in the building."
Mr. Gravitte has walked miles of corridors in the building, with its 71 classrooms, as he watched his school evolve. Assigned as principal July 2, 2007, it's been a busy year, "but it has gone by very quickly," he said. He inherited the architect's plans, but said he had very few suggestions. "It's well laid out and user friendly."
In the past Gravitte has worked in both middle and high schools, but this is the first time in a school combining both middle and high schools. "It's a real challenge to mesh and create a hybrid school that will work for both," he said.
"The media center is the best I've ever seen. The librarians have done a wonderful job in ordering supplies and library books to equip it. It's world class.
"It's the same for the science labs. The team has done a great job creating college-level science labs. The fine arts department is excellent with all the equipment they need to have a great program."
There will be nine computer labs and seven science labs. There is a good partnership with Chattanooga State for their early college program. In the middle school, students will receive a global perspective in their courses and for the first time will have foreign language classes in Spanish and French, where usually there are only classes in Latin.
The school will be transitioning to a block schedule. Traditionally there are 6, 7 or 8 periods each day lasting about 45 minutes. A block schedule expands the time for each class. There will be a 4 by 4 block in the high school with four classes each day for sessions 80 minutes long and at the beginning of the next semester they will study four different classes.
There will be a different idea for the same concept in the middle school. There will be a total of eight classes throughout the year with a block of four classes each day but the classes will come every other day.
With the block schedule, there will also be an enrichment period where teachers can expose students to different units that might not be taught in regular courses.
While most of the teachers in the middle school will be coming from the old middle school, he has hired all the new high school teachers. "We've hired good people the kids will enjoy working with. I looked for teachers who I would want my daughter to have as a teacher. I looked for teachers who would be enthusiastic about their students and their curriculum."
The principal said he wanted in his building those who share a love of teaching. "They're every one hard workers and flexible so they will work well with students and parents and each other."
There's a sign on his wall, "If it's not fun, why do it?" He said with a smile that that was his philosophy and he wants that attitude to be a part of the school. He's applied that philosophy to this past year, as well.
"It's been a great pleasure to work with the architect, Andrew Hausler, Gary Waters of the Hamilton County Department of Education and Rentenbach Construction Company in getting the project together. I've received tremendous support from Chip Baker and Commissioner Richard Casavant, the Founders Fund, Friends of Signal Mountain High School and the entire Signal Mountain community. Everyone has been extremely supportive. The Signal Mountain High School PTSA and the Sports Booster Group have really worked hard to make it successful."
| Dining Out | Business | Movies | Focus | About Us |
| Church | Living Well | Memories | Outdoors | Real Estate | Student Scene | Travel |