DUMAS, TEXAS -- After $15 million, the intermediate school up in Dumas is now finished. It held an open house for future students and parents to come inside and walk around.
The new school is ready to accommodate the 680 students who will attend their first day of school on Monday.
The school will be filled with fifth and sixth graders, and students will have five different teachers, each one makes up what they call a team. That includes math, science, social studies, reading, and language arts teachers. In total there is a staff of more than 70, including 46 teachers.
It's also set up to have passing periods, intramural sports, and after school clubs to make the transition to junior high easier.
"The transition is extremely important because in the past they have all been thrown together as 7th graders, well now they get to come from all five elementary schools as 5th graders and 5th graders are a little more accepting of others and I think it's going to give them an opportunity to get to know people from other parts of town at a younger age," said Philip Rhodes, the new principal.
The city of Dumas passed a bond back in 2007 to pay for it all, but they also dedicated some funding to improve the Elementary, Junior, and High schools. Those renovations will also be ready when the students head back to class.
