East Heights renovation will remove 'pods' and replace with a new classroom wing

Henderson County Schools and other local officials broke ground Thursday morning on an estimated $25 million renovation project at East Heights Elementary School.

The project, occurring in phases, will eventually demolish the classroom “pods” that have been present at the school for decades and replace them with a new classroom wing. It will also update the school’s ADA compliance, including upgraded doors, hardware, drinking fountains, toilets and ramps.

Educators at the school have taught in the pods for decades, said HCS Superintendent Bob Lawson. Though they have done a good job, both Lawson and current East Heights Principal Erika Odom said the added distractions from teaching in the more open spaced setup was and is difficult.

Traditional, closed classrooms are “just easier,” Odom said, because a classroom’s sounds don’t as easily spill into the next.

What may have been a good idea in theory didn’t work as well in practice, Lawson said.

Though the timeline for the project is 2-3 years, Odom said current teachers at the school are excited to get moving.

“It’s progress,” she said.

Fifth grade students present at the groundbreaking echoed what Lawson and Odom said, commenting about future students not hearing other classrooms’ noises coming from over the walls into theirs.

Though they’ll be at North Middle School and eyeing a move up to Henderson County High School by the time of the project’s completion, both Kylen Donald and Lincoln Duff praised the renovation.

“I think it’s going to be great for the generations to come,” Donald said.

“I think it will benefit Henderson greatly,” said Duff.

Perhaps those students are future superintendents because their remarks were similar to those of Lawson, who said that the completed project will be one in which “education and innovation meet” and something the community “can really be proud of.”

The school was first built in 1973 and early on was a nationally recognized school, but over time, it was evident it needed to evolve, said HCS Assistant Superintendent Chad Thompson. He said the last time the school was renovated was 1996.

In addition to the new classroom wing and ADA improvements, the school will also get a new HVAC system, an expanded parking area and front office entry modifications for improved safety and useability.

The project is being designed by RBS Design Group, with Codell Construction serving as the construction manager, Thompson said.

Lawson praised the project as another example of the school system’s pursuit of excellence. He said completing capital projects and improving school facilities has been a major push for him and the school board in recent years.

Examples of recent capital projects include the new Jefferson Elementary School completed in 2022 and the new Spottsville Elementary School, completed in 2018.

Moving forward, Lawson said the next big capital project will be installing a new HVAC system at South Middle School, which will occur this summer. As the new HVAC system is put in, there will be renovations that go along with it, Lawson said. The price tag for that project is $20-plus million, he said.

Henderson County Schools provided a list of recent improvements, upgrades and capital projects the school system has taken on in recent years.

Projects completed: