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SUNNY Temp: 55 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Thursday, November 21, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend September 20, 2002 Sixth-grader Ben Bowles arrives for school Thursday with a full load, since there are no lockers for middle-school students forced by a school fire to share time and space at Eagle Point High School. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli A study in stress Eagle Point struggles to cope with fire-forced restrictions By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Eagle Point sixth-grader Ben Bowles sometimes feels like a human pack mule, lugging his books, his football gear and his trombone to school every day. "It feels a lot heavier than normal," he said. "It’s heavier than what I’m used to." Ben, other students and their parents are feeling the effects of a hectic new double shift at the high school to accommodate the loss of the middle school during an accidental fire last month. Not everybody is happy with an arrangement that is putting a strain on families, particularly those with children at both the middle and high schools. Ben’s mother, Sigrid Howe, said her son is losing 26 days of academic study because of a shorter school year, has to cart his belongings to and from campus because he doesn’t have a locker and stays up until 9 p.m. to practice football. "They’re not putting the needs of my child first," she said. "The first day of school he came home crying." Howe has another son, Cody Bowles, who is a high school athlete and went to an away game in Corvallis. He was scheduled to return at 2 a.m., then get up at 5 a.m. to be ready to leave for school an hour later. "You wouldn’t think a shorter school day would take up more time in the day, but it does," said Howe. Howe thinks the school should have abandoned its plans to bring in more sixth-graders into middle school. Last year, about 30 students went to the middle school. This year it’s up to 180. "We had empty classrooms for the sixth-graders to go to at Little Butte," she said. Lynn Eccleston, co-principal of the middle school, said the new schedule has been stressful for some families, particularly single parents and those who can’t get rides for their children. "It’s an added stress and I understand that," she said. But the school has been trying to help, meeting with parents and students to literally take the load off. Some sixth-graders are bringing too many supplies, weighing down their backpacks, said Eccleston. School officials have met with students to explain what they need to bring to school since they don’t have lockers. The school also has opened the band room in the morning so students can store their instruments there during the day. The school will try to arrange car pools for parents whose children participate in after-school activities, she said. Sports events for middle school students often start at 4 p.m., during the school day, and Eccleston said teachers are trying to find a way that students can make up their class assignments. High school students who have night games will be allowed to miss their first period class, which starts at 6:30 a.m. To help somewhat with the new schedule, Eccleston said middle school students can now practice in the fields at the old middle school site, and two classrooms spared by the fire have been converted into dressing rooms. Eccleston hopes the water supply eventually will be restored to the multipurpose room at the old school, allowing students to use the locker rooms. Although some parents think there are empty classrooms at the elementary schools, Eccleston said she knows of only two that are available. As to sending students back to elementary school, Eccleston said teachers spent a considerable amount of time during the spring and summer months preparing curriculum for the sixth-graders. The district also spent time and energy last school year persuading parents to adopt the middle school concept, which gives sixth-graders the opportunity to study at a more advanced level than elementary students. Shady Cove resident Toni McMillan, who thinks the school is trying to do the best with a bad situation, doesn’t know how parents who have a child in middle school and another in high school are going to make it through the year. Both her children are involved in extra-curricular activities, making their schedule particularly hectic. "My oldest son has to catch a bus at 5:30 a.m. and does not have a bus home, so my husband or myself have to take off work to pick him up at 3:30 in the afternoon," she said. "Then my eighth-grader has to be at school around 10 a.m. — again, no bus." As a result, she and her husband are basically running a shuttle service from Eagle Point to Shady Cove, forcing them to miss work. "I truly don’t see how this is going to work for the whole school year," said McMillan. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S