New Stratton on track to open by school year

Mar. 3—The walls, windows, flooring and a roof are nearly all in place at the new Stratton Elementary School, and come August the school will welcome its first class of students and teachers.

Having seen the project though from the start years ago, Raleigh Schools Superintendent David Price said he can't quite express what it means that the school is just months away from completion.

"Seeing this come from a dream or just a wish to reality is just amazing," he said. "And to think that we've had a part of putting something here that will last for generations and impact the community and students in our county for generations to come, it's exciting to be able to be a part of that and to work to accomplish that.

"It's been a long, long road. But we're getting close to seeing it come to reality."

Last week, Price took The Register-Herald on a tour of the construction site, which is just behind the current Stratton Elementary on South Fayette Street in Beckley.

From the outside, the new school, which cost roughly $20 million, looks to be nearly complete.

On the inside it's clear there's more work to be done. But Price said he's been told by contractors that construction should wrap up in May or June.

Demolition of the old Stratton School building will take place in the summer of 2024 after students have completed their first full year in the new school.

A parking lot, playground, outdoor basketball court and small turf field will be built on the grounds where the former elementary school stood.

While walking down the hallway that will soon have fourth- and fifth-grade students, Price pointed out the school's new colors, which are a combination of current and past school colors.

These colors can be seen in the brightly painted walls, which are either dark blue, light blue, lime green or yellow. Paw prints, in recognition of the school's mascot, have also been painted on the floors of the school using the same colors.

Price said some of Stratton's previous school colors included black and gold and then green and gold. He said that was the inspiration for the school's new colors though they did choose lighter and brighter variations of the colors.

"When you get into elementary, you want bright colors," Price said.

On the back half of the school and running parallel to the fourth- and fifth-grade hallways are classrooms for Stratton's youngest students.

When construction is complete, Price said these classrooms will open up onto a playground for pre-K students.

A bus loop and drop-off area will also be located in the area behind the school, which at this point is still just covered with dirt and gravel.

Price said the outdoor playground and bus loop will be a project for the summer.

The Raleigh County Board of Education approved the bid for two playgrounds at Stratton Elementary during a recent meeting. The second playground will be in front of the school. Combined, the playgrounds will cost roughly $832,000.

About halfway down the fourth- and fifth-grade hallway, Price pointed to a hallway on the right where the school's STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) area and library will be located.

The administrative offices are located in a block to the right of the library and STEM area, which are also connected to the school's main entrance.

Like all new schools built in the area, Price said the new Stratton Elementary is being built with a "safe school entrance," which allows those working in the front office to easily and safely control who is allowed inside the school.

To the right of the main entrance is a secondary entrance that leads to the full-size gym.

The gym hallway will also contain a large area which is being called the tribute space and will be dedicated to showcasing Stratton's history and memorabilia from former graduates.

The current Stratton Elementary was originally built in 1938 and was a high school.

The old building holds great historical significance to the community and the state as the first all-Black high school in Raleigh County.

To fill this tribute space Raleigh County Schools Assistant Superintendent Serena Starcher said she has been collecting mementos from former students including diplomas, yearbooks, pictures, newspaper clippings, footballs and more.

Starcher said some of these items have been donated and will be on display in the tribute space for years to come while others are just on loan from their owner.

She added that current Stratton Elementary students as well as alumni also have an opportunity to be a permeant part of the new building. For the past few months, students past and present have painted hundreds of square tiles which will be part of a large mural installed in the new school.

The background of each tile will be one of the school's four new colors. Starcher said many have chosen to write their name and graduation year on the tile while others have chosen to paint a memory from their time at the school.

She added that one of those tiles tells the story of former principal Malvin Ross, who once told students that he'd eat a fish if they improved their test scores.

"The students believe that he ate this fish because they met the test score requirement," Starcher said. "They learned later that it was a gummy fish that he ate, but that's a tile that was painted in his memory."

Starcher said there are still tiles left to be painted and if any alumni have yet to paint a tile, they can reach out to her to get that done.

Alumni who live far away can also send designs they would like to have painted to Starcher, and someone will paint a tile on their behalf.

To get in contact with Starcher email her at slstarch@k12.wv.us or call 304)-256-4500 ext. 3334.

Anyone who would like to donate or loan Stratton memorabilia to use in the school's new tribute space can also reach out to Starcher.

Email: jmoore@register-herald.com