Expanded School Improves Experience for Day Middle School Students

The expansion of F.A. Day Middle School came just in time, said Principal Brian Turner.

In just three years the school added nearly 200 students.

“I was thinking about the adage ‘build it and they will come.’” Turner said. “Well even if we didn’t build this, they were going to come.”

Three years ago the school had 758 students, and in the fall of 2013, there are 191 more students, making the enrollment 949.

“Those students were coming with or without this expansion so it was absolutely vital to get the work done,” Turner said.

The expansion includes six more classrooms, five new small learning spaces and a new entrance.

Mayor Setti Warren said the improvements will help all Day students.

“This is more than just additional school classrooms and an entrance that makes sure the building makes sense,” Warren said. ”It really is about making sure the student get the best education possible.”

The new classrooms allow Day to continue using teams and provide a “school within a school” feel, Turner said.

It also allowed the school to go from having five lunch periods to three, Turner said. In the past, some students had to eat as early as 10:22 a.m., he said. Also they can avoid the situation where classes had to break after 15 minutes so students could go to lunch, and then reconvene after eating to finish the class.