Tatom has that new school smell

MONAHANS Ahh. You smell that? It’s that new school smell.
   It’s at Tatom Elementary, a mostly new first-through-third grade school with impressive classrooms, class technology and a new library.
   The school opened its shiny new doors to the first day of classes Aug. 24, the staff of about 60 getting the kinks out and running a pretty smooth first day of school, according to principal Doug Doege. On that day, the staff just wanted to make sure it could file the students in efficiently, coordinate lunch and recess, and send them home safely.
   “We knew if we could do that on the first day with no problems, then we’d be fine,” Doege said.
   Tatom’s renovation — the original gymnasium, cafeteria and one wing still stand, although that wing’s classrooms were gutted and done over — was part of a $29.5 million school bond package passed in 2005 that also included upgrades to other schools in the Monahans-Wickett-Pyote Independent School District.
   The school district also restructured its elementary schools. Originally, it had separate campuses for grades one and two, three and four, and five and six. Now, Tatom serves its three grades and Sudderth Elementary serves fourth grade through sixth grade.
   Tatom was closed for more than a year for construction and, with its opening, the district closed Edwards Elementary, which used to serve first grade and second grade.
   Tatom’s new library has about 15,000 books and new computers, librarian Bridget Schoolcraft said. The original library was two classrooms together.
   Tatom used to have a much more open feel to it, with an open courtyard and hallways. After the renovation, the campus is all, effectively, under one roof.
   “What we did is we made all of it safer for kids because the building we tore down had outside doors, and we made sure everything was enclosed,” superintendent Keith Richardson said. “Also, we made it look like it was a brand new school and tied it all together.”
   And removed the chalkboards.
   Most of the classrooms include Promethean whiteboards, an interactive board that allows an image on the teacher’s computer screen to be projected on the board.
   The software lets teachers produce unique lessons that can also be stored for future use. And sometimes, the lessons often look like computer games.
   “The kids love it,” second-grade teacher Brenda Roberts said,
   Teachers have received tutorials on the software and are still learning to maximize all it offers, Doege said. That process, it turns out, has had its own positive effect.
   “We’ve encouraged a lot of collaboration and this naturally forces everyone to come together and help each other out,” Doege said.
   Roberts agreed.
   “The morale is better,” she said. “We work together more.”