Churchill Elementary School in Glen Ellyn eliminates portable classrooms

GLEN ELLYN – Churchill Elementary School second-grade student Garrett Carlson, 8, was recently doing Internet research on Benjamin Franklin while plopped down in his favorite spot in his new classroom.

The classroom was one of four new state-of-the-art classrooms that opened in March at the school, replacing portable classrooms that had been in place since 2004. Construction was recently completed on the new rooms, which followed the opening of four classrooms in fall 2015.

Garrett was already feeling at home in the new classroom.

"I like how big it is," he said. "There's a lot more space to research in."

Churchill's eight new classrooms are part of Glen Ellyn School District 41's effort to replace portables at its elementary schools with new state-of-the-art classrooms. However, 10 portable classrooms remain at Hadley Junior High School.

The Glen Ellyn School District 41 Community Facility Task Force is currently studying the district's space needs, and it will make a presentation April 25 to the Board of Education on its recommendations. The presentation will be part of the board's regular meeting at 7 p.m. in the board room at the District 41 Central Services Office, 793 N. Main St.

Second-grade literacy teacher Kristy Doyle, a teacher at Churchill for 17 years, said she thought she would miss the "coziness" of the portable classrooms. But Doyle said that has not been the case.

"It's so great. Everybody can go into their own nook and work together," Doyle said.

She also won't miss the additional time it took students to go between classes because of the portable classrooms, which were outside the main school building.

"The transitions are much more smooth," Doyle said. "I have more academic time. To a teacher, those extra minutes are priceless. All those extra minutes of reading and writing make a difference."

At 900 square feet, the new classrooms are more spacious than the portable classrooms, which were between 650 to 700 square feet in size, said Dave Scarmardo, the district's director of buildings and grounds.

"They were very cramped," he said. "The students didn't have space to move around their desks."

Churchill Principal Scott Klespitz said he is happy the school is under one roof again.

"It's a real comforting feeling from a safety standpoint," said Klespitz, who has been principal for 11 years. "You would worry about kids going in and out of the building."

And both students and staff appreciated the fact that they were able to start the school year with a classroom addition, Klespitz said.

"Everyone was very excited to see the new space," he said.