Appleton school prepares to move

APPLETON - Students, staff, alumni and supporters of St. Joseph Middle School in Appleton this weekend will celebrate the school's history as it closes its old building and prepares to move to its new home.

The public celebration from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, June 10, at the Lawrence Street site will include historical displays and a video.

Bill O'Brien, Appleton Catholic Education System (ACES) executive director, ACES will take ownership on June 15 of the former Fox Valley Lutheran High School on Appleton's north side. It will be renovated to accommodate an anticipated 485 6th-8th graders when classes start Aug. 30. St. Joe's 1999-2000 enrollment was 453. O'Brien predicts eventual enrollments of 500 to 600.

Renovations will be done on the roof; the 16 classrooms - including new furniture and white boards; conversion of one classroom into a chapel; and turning the industrial arts area into four classrooms; the gym, which includes three parallel basketball courts, and tennis courts.

When completed, there will be three computer laboratories, one for each grade level, new science space, specialized band and chorus rooms, a large art room, and offices, including the ACES central office.

A large assembly hall will be used for special events and religious celebrations, O'Brien said. The school also has a stadium, a track and football fields.

O'Brien said he did not foresee any immediate changes in the middle school's program. Those that will occur, will be "subtle improvements," he said, noting that the library/media center can house a collection seven times what St. Joe's now has. That, and new technology, will help the students become "more research oriented," he said.

In the new school, classrooms for each grade will be grouped together, and there will be small offices for the teachers, allowing them to meet for planning sessions.

St. Joe's will hold a raffle this summer to raise up to $100,000 for new technology. First prize is a sky box at the Packers' Bishop's Charities game.

Bp. Robert Banks will dedicate the school on Oct. 7.