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Show A-6 The Park Record Wed/Thurs/Fri, August 15-17, 2018 District locks in on security Fee rises to keep school safe plan with fences, entryways IDs are required to enter elementary schools this year CAROLYN WEBBER ALDER The Park Record Classes might have been out of session this summer, but there was still plenty of activity going on inside the schools of the Park City School District. This summer, the district updated the schools to increase safety and security and repair worn surfaces. One of the biggest changes is that, now, all visitors to the elementary schools must enter through one enclosed entryway and be approved by secretaries to access the rest of the building. Visitors will be required to show their driver’s licenses or another form of state ID. Hansen said that the district worked closely with a safety consultant to find a visitor management system that was safe and simple to implement. Hansen said that the district hopes to eventually have similar systems in place at all of the schools, but the high cost of construction might cause delays. He said that restructuring the front entries in the secondary schools is his top priority moving forward. Plus, he hopes to install shatterproof glass sheets on the main windows at all of the schools in the future. PHOTO BY MELINDA COLTON At McPolin Elementary School, new entryways were installed this summer. The doors to the school will now remain locked during school hours and visitors will have to provide state IDs to the secreThe Wallflowers Quarter Withto Time.pdf 1 7/27/2018Similar 3:23:46 PM taries in order to be admitted the building. updates were made to the other elementary schools in the Park City School District. This summer, the doors at the elementary schools were rewired to lock as soon as the opening bell rings. An alert will be sent to the front office if any door is opened or left open. The district hopes to implement the feature at the secondary schools as well, Hansen said. The district also installed fences at the elementary schools over the break. They are expected to be finished before school starts next week. An 8-foot fence spans the majority of the grounds at Trailside Elementary School, for instance, to keep elk out, Hansen said. Along the north side where the grounds abut homes, a wooden fence was placed at the request of homeowners. Homeowners also negotiated with the district to lower the fence’s height around Parley’s Park Elementary School from 6 feet to 5 feet. The fence was also moved about 40 feet back from the property line, Hansen said. He said that there are several access points along the fences at each of the schools. To accompany the security changes, the secretaries at the schools are being trained on the new protocols. They will have to check visitors’ IDs and unlock the door for visitors to access the school. Hansen said the training is expected to continue for the first couple weeks of school. The schools also plan to talk about the new security measures with the students so they do not open doors for people trying to enter. “It’s going to be a training process,” he said. “Schools are made for access, and we are trying to do the opposite.” The district completed maintenance projects this summer as well. Dozier Field at Park City High School received new turf, the floors and roof were redone in two of the gyms at the high school and carpet was installed at Jeremy Ranch Elementary School, McPolin Elementary School and Treasure Mountain Junior High. CAROLYN WEBBER ALDER/PARK RECORD Park City High School is raising its parking pass fee from $50 to $100 this school year. The increase will help pay for a parking and safety coordinator to patrol for more hours. Students will have to pay $100 for a parking pass CAROLYN WEBBER ALDER The Park Record For several years, Park City High School has charged students $50 to park their cars in the school’s lot. This year, the school is doubling the cost. Students will be required to pay $100 for a parking pass this year, said Caleb Fine, assistant principal of the high school. The increase is expected to be used to fund the part-time parking and safety coordinator position. Fine said that the school wants to increase the current coordinator’s hours from 15 weekly to 20 or more hours a week. The school weighed different funding options before settling on a parking fee increase. “As our student population has increased, as our parking lots have become completely full, we realize we need more presence,” Fine said. The school proposed the idea to the Park City Board of Education, and the Board approved the increase during its talks about the budget earlier this year. The high school funds the entire position. The coordinator monitors the parking lot and gives tickets to people who park illegally. Fine said that the adult presence can also encourage students to slow down in the parking lot and deters students from bringing items they should not have on campus in their cars, such as drugs and alcohol or weapons. “When students know there is an adult there, it’s one more reason not to bring those on campus,” he said. Depending on how many passes the school sells, the coordinator might also monitor the hallways of the school this year, Fine said. The school could also use the funds to hire more support personnel or fund extra-curricular activities. The school also decided to increase the cost of the pass because Fine said that there is a shortage of parking at the school. The high cost might push more students to carpool or ride the bus. He recognizes that the fee is a “significant cost” for students, but he said that the possible benefits for the students make it worth it. “The first priority is student safety,” he said. Students are ready for first bell The Back 2 School Basics event brought 700 kids CAROLYN WEBBER ALDER The Park Record BIG STARS BRIGHT NIGHTS AUGUST 24 at 6:00 pm THE WALLFLOWERS The Christian Center of Park City set out six years ago to equip every Park City student in need with school equipment during its annual Back 2 School Basics event. With more than 700 kids attending this year, the center is getting closer to that goal. During the event, which took place Friday, each student between kindergarten and 10th grade received a $100 gift card and used it to purchase new clothes and school supplies at participating stores in Tanger Outlets. The students also collected school supplies that the Christian Center set out on tables for students to grab, said Rob Harter, the nonprofit’s executive director. Last year, 560 students attended the event. To raise the number by about 140 this year was a success, Harter said. But, he said that there are likely more students who are not taking advantage of the program. There are about 1,200 students in the Park City School District who Continued from A-5 Academy settles into space Tickets start at $46 City Park 1354 Park Avenue Park City Tickets available at: parkcityinstitute.org Park City Institute Box Office, 435-6553114 The King's English Bookshop, 801-4849100 quite match up, or they can be very haughty because they look around and say, ‘Alright, I am the top dog here,’” Willoughby said. “If they are in with everybody, they don’t do that that much.” In the secondary program, students are in most classes with others in their grade, but Greiner said that students can move through the subjects at different speeds. He said having coursework readily available online allow teachers to provide specialized learning. “Everyone is in their own TANZI PROPST/PARK RECORD Ashley Patricio finds the perfect pair of jean shorts at the Gap at the Tanger Outlets during the Christian Center of Park City’s Back 2 School Basics shopping event on Aug. 10. She was one of more than 700 students who were given $100 gift cards to purchase new clothes and school supplies. qualify for free and reduced lunch, he said. He hopes to continue to spread the word about the event and grow numbers even more next year. The Christian Center also had a large amount of volunteers at the event this year. About 175 volunteers helped students get their gift cards and make their purchases. Harter said he was happy to see the large number of volunteers helping, as well as individuals in the community who sponsored students with donations. He said the event is important because it is the community helping make it so “every child starts out on the right foot.” “The community is saying we want to make sure every child has everything they need, so that ill-fitting clothes or a lack of clothes doesn’t distract them from having the best school experience they can have,” he said. United Way, Westgate Resorts, Promontory Club, HCVT and Tanger Outlets also helped sponsor the event. spot. Wherever you are is where you are supposed to be,” he said. Having the lessons online is also beneficial for students who travel or participate in competitive sports and need time off to train and compete, Greiner said. Willoughby said that parents can use the online programs to pre-teach information to their children who might be falling behind. The teachers at the academy spent a large part of the summer creating their own curriculum for online and in-class learning so they are able to easily hop between different lessons for each student. Greiner said that this model can be time-intensive for teachers, which is why the school has smaller class sizes of about 20. There are currently 110 students enrolled in the secondary program and 73 in the elementary program. There are waiting lists for both schools. Greiner said that because of the high demand, the school hopes to continue to grow, but not so quickly that it is not able to maintain small class sizes or provide individualized support. This year, the elementary program added one teacher and the secondary program hired four teachers to teach photography, art, science and engineering. Greiner is eager to start the new engineering course and to see the students in action, particularly in the long-awaited makerspace, which has 3-D printers. Willoughby said that she is happy to be in her own space now that the building is finally complete. Secondary classes started on Aug. 13 and the elementary program is set to start on Wednesday, Aug. 22. “We are really excited about this year,” Greiner said. “I think this is the year that we finally get to start being what we are. We aren’t just trying to survive like we were last year.” |