| | Published August 23rd, 2017
| New facilities brighten OUSD campuses
| | | By Sora O'Doherty |  | | One of several environmentally-friendly Gen7 modular buildings placed on Orinda Union School District campuses this summer. Photo Sora O'Doherty |
Several items were discussed at the Aug. 14 Orinda Union School District board of trustees meeting, including requests for restoration of advanced courses, board member assignments to specific schools and facility upgrades to Orinda campuses.
It might have been "no more pencils, no more books" for the students, but summertime meant that Stuart House, Orinda Union School District director of facilities and his staff were extremely busy. New, environmentally friendly Gen7 modular buildings were placed at Glorietta and Del Rey elementary schools. Glorietta Elementary first-grade teacher Erin Miller is thrilled with her room in the new building. She is especially enthusiastic about the lighting, which includes natural light solar tubes that can be completely closed and electric lights that can run at 100 percent, 50 percent, or just 10 percent. The large solar panels on the buildings provide the energy for the lighting, heating and air conditioning.
The multipurpose building at Orinda Intermediate School was completely renovated with a newly refinished gym floor, new interior double doors, new wall veneer and paint, and transformation of the old kitchen into an exercise room for yoga and exercise machines. The OIS library has been reconfigured with 21st century furniture and a new split system HVAC replaced the old, dysfunctional boiler. Del Rey got a new playground with striping, planting and seating, a new electronic marquee sign, new 21st century classroom furniture and additional basketball hoops and a ball wall.
Glorietta's old computer lab has been transformed into a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) classroom with new furnishings and equipment, the lower sports field has been renovated, the lower play area got new poured-in rubber surfacing, and kindergarten, first and fifth grades got new 21st century furniture.
Sleepy Hollow Elementary School got a new electronic marquee sign, new rubber surfacing for five playgrounds, 21st century classroom furniture for fifth-graders, and a new modular toilet building for adults. The mudslide at the entry driveway to Wagner Ranch Elementary School was repaired and new security cameras installed along the driveway and by the gymnasium. Wagner Ranch also got a new electric marquee sign, new rubber surfacing for the playground, new equipment for the upper grades playground, and new storage cabinets in pod hallways.
In addition to facilities upgrade announcements, the board heard from a number of students and parents during the public forum portion who urged the the school board to restore advanced Spanish language classes at Orinda Intermediate School and, if necessary, to hire another teacher for those classes. Board Member Cara Hoxie responded to their concerns by asking that the matter be placed on the agenda for a future meeting, and the board agreed to do so.
The board also assigned members to a particular schools as the meeting. The assignments rotate each year so board members become familiar with all the schools in the district. For the upcoming school year the assignments are as follows:
Del Rey-Carol Brown
Glorietta-Julie Rossiter
OIS-Cara Hoxie
Sleepy Hollow-Hillary Weiner
Wagner Ranch-Jason Kaune
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA