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Highlands Today

K Center A Learning Experience For School District

SCHOOL MIDWAY IN ITS 1ST YEAR

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By MARC VALERO | Highlands Today

Published: December 26, 2007

SEBRING — The shuttle buses were late the first day of school and a false fire alarm on the second day were just a couple of minor glitches for an overall successful debut of the Kindergarten Learning Center.

Halfway through the school year, things have settled down and the district's youngest students are busy learning the basic skills they will use the rest of their lives.

Principal Andrew Lethbridge said recently, "a fire alarm going off on the second day of school, that was quite interesting as you have all kindergartners, all brand new in this school."

Though a practice fire drill had not yet been conducted, evacuation of the school went smoothly.
The kids did a wonderful job; the teachers did a wonderful job, he said. A sensor in an air handler was responsible for the false alarm.

"I've been blessed with an excellent group of teachers to work with and the parents have been extremely supportive and I really have a wonderful group of students as well," Lethbridge said. "I've been very blessed with all three parts of the puzzle for this first year," – teachers, parents and students.

The first-year principal of a new school said, "we are going through everything the first time so we make sure we are prepared for different events as they come forward."

A tour of the campus yields no reminders that this was once a grocery store/shopping center.
School officials have commented that visitors are pleasantly surprised by the successful conversion of the building into the district's 16th school.

Superintendent Wally Cox, commenting on the conversion, said, "I thought it was going to be nice, but it exceeded all expectations of what I though it would look like. When you are in there, it really has a good school environment."

The contractor and the school district's facilities department did a great job, he said.
Most of the issues were ironed out the first or second day, Cox said.

"It's really a tribute to not only Andrew (Lethbridge,) but the entire staff has come together as a real team and family atmosphere," he added.

The kindergarten classes from Cracker Trail, Fred Wild and Woodlawn elementary schools moved to the Kindergarten Learning Center this year, reducing the number of students and the need for portable classrooms at those schools.

For students who are not driven to the school by their parents, a shuttle bus from each of the three elementary schools transports the kindergartners to and from the Kindergarten Learning Center.

The school, located at 3560 U.S. 27 S., Sebring, has 30 classrooms and an enrollment of 322 students.

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