Parkersburg South High School rededicated
By DAVE PAYNE Sr., dpayne@newsandsentinel.comPARKERSBURG - Herb Palmer, a former principal of Parkersburg South High School, paused a couple of minutes to look out a window of a newly renovated classroom Sunday at one of only a few things that looked familiar - the Senior Garden Courtyard.
"There used to be land turtles out there," he said.
Besides the garden and its occasional turtle, few things at Parkersburg South looked the same Sunday during the school's rededication as they did in 1968 when Palmer took the helm.
Sunday's ceremony marked the completion of the multi-million-dollar renovation at Parkersburg South, which - along with Parkersburg High and Williamstown High schools - benefited from the $64-million project to enhance the county high schools.
Four years ago, the massive school renovation were just an idea. When voters approved the $35 million levy making it all possible, school officials knew there was hard, but rewarding work ahead, said Superintendent Bill Niday.
"We were like a dog that had been chasing a car and caught it. We were thinking 'OK, what are we going to do now?' With the help of very good design professionals and construction managers, we were able to finish and give the community quality schools. Everybody saw this as a short-term pain for a long-term gain and we certainly got that," Niday said.
Kayla Ware, student council co-president, said she marvels at the changes to the school. While previously students often had to be exposed to the elements as they walked to class, they can now get wherever they need to go in a hallway.
"Now we don't have to walk in the rain," Ware said.
Parkersburg South Principal Tom Eschbacher said he admires the dedication of the school's faculty and staff as well as the students, some of whom graduated without attending a single year at the school when it wasn't under construction.
"It was an absolute mess. At any given time the kids could have laid down and said 'we've had enough,' but they didn't. They kept going and we're very proud of them," Eschbacher said.
Attending the ceremony were all the living former principals of the school: Palmer, Bob Butler, Tim Swarr and Roy McCase.
Palmer was the school's second principal (after Jack Simon, who served in the role for the school's first year) and took the helm of the school in 1968 and maintained the position until 1983.
Palmer said many of the renovation to Parkersburg South have been needed since the beginning.
"What I've seen is a great improvement. It's been needed for so long. A lot of these things should have been here originally, but weren't because of funds available. When the building was built, they did not anticipate enrollment. In just two or three years, we had outgrown the facility and were short space in general, there wasn't enough lab space and library was not sufficient," Palmer said.
School board President Rick Olcott, who attended Parkersburg South during the Palmer years, echoed that sentiment.
"What has just been done - look at all the academic space, art space, athletic space - is what citizens of south Parkersburg have deserved for a long time," Olcott said.
Parkersburg High will be rededicated 2 p.m. Oct. 19. Williamstown High School was rededicated late last year.
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ren26101
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10-13-08 8:06 AM
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I think the High School looks AWSOME!!
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