CHARLES TOWN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Go to: OVERVIEW (SaveOurCounty) DETAILS (listener) PLANNING SCHOOLS ENVIRONMENT EROSION Report corrections & broken links to Webmaster Get updates on local issues

Source: Board of Education, Comprehensive Educational Facilities Plan (CEFP)

817 High Street

Charles Town, WV 25414

(304) 725-7821

The largest of three Junior High School buildings in Jefferson County, Charles Town Junior High School serves the southern and eastern areas of the county. Originally a high school facility, the facility now accommodates a Junior High educational program for Grades 7, 8 and 9. Approximately 775 students are enrolled for Fall 1998.

Current Use: This large sprawling educational facility serves a diverse student population and offers a broad curriculum. Although selected courses have large enrollment, primarily in the core subject areas, the diversity of laboratory spaces and special use areas enables the school to accommodate the current population easily. There are two well-equipped science laboratories plus three additional science rooms; purpose-built space for art, music, home economics and industrial arts, with a focus on agriculture and aquaculture, are also available. The gymnasium is large and equipped with appropriate support and locker facilities that are not heavily utilized.

General: Although this structure dates from 1959 and has additions dating in 1975 and 1991, the resulting facility is generally functional. The amount of corridor space is considerable, and there are areas of traffic congestion that are major problems. Since the building lacks circular traffic movement, there are a number of dead end areas which cause intensive two-way movement and crowded junctions.

Among the most unsatisfactory aspects of the building is the small cafeteria which is served by an even smaller kitchen. The library is minimally adequate, but the art and music rooms are exemplary as purpose-built facilities. Classrooms are adequately sized and most teachers are able to remain in one room for all instructional periods. There are two excellent computer laboratories and quality science facilities are available. Ample space exists for home economics and for technical art/shop and aquaculture programs.

The administrative space is very tight and congested. The undersized nurse's clinic is in the main administration office. There is little storage space for instructional materials. The gymnasium lacks adequate seating to accommodate the entire school for assemblies and there is no auditorium. One portable classroom is used for in-school suspension. The restrooms are too few and do not exist at all in the science and math wing.

Site: One of the most problematic aspects of this facility relates to site conditions. The distance between the school facility and adjacent structures is minimal. There is insufficient parking for faculty, and it occurs all around the building. Service drives are shared with adjacent property owners. There is insufficient space for the twenty-six buses which serve this school. Traffic congestion in and out of the school property is considerable. There is no separation of private vehicle and bus traffic. Insufficient play field space is available for student population at this educational level. In summary, the property is undersized and this situation negatively impacts the total capacity of the building.

Building Organization and Configuration: Laid out in a modified "U" shape, this school has problems with traffic in the hallways. Hallways are undersized and the building configuration requires student traffic to backtrack and to cross paths on a constant basis. The building configuration does not lend itself conveniently to grade clustering. Although a desirable concentration of math and science classrooms exist, these instructional areas are in a remote wing unsupported by restrooms and inconvenient to reach.

Potential for Continued Use: This school facility has many strong points and the problems with traffic circulation and functionality could be solved with minor interior modifications and linkages of the two instructional wings. With building configuration and cafeteria improvements, the building can be expected to have a considerable future life as a middle school and offers real potential for appropriate organization by grade level.

SPACE INVENTORY SUMMARY

Charles Town Jr. High School

Jefferson County Schools

		RATED
SPACE/ROOM	No.	CAPACITY	COMMENT
General Purpose Classrooms	26	@25=650	many CRs minimally sized
Seminar/Small Classrooms	0	@15=
Large Group Lecture	0	@ = *NR
Relocatable CRs	1	@25= *NR	used for in-school suspension (ISS)
Special Education CRs	6	@12=72
Spec Educ Resource Rooms	2	@12= *NR
Itinerant Teacher Rooms	0	@12= *NR
Art Labs	1	@25=25
Music/Band Rooms	2	@25=50
Computer Labs	2	@25=50
Science Labs	3	@25=75	1 is standard CR; others small as labs
Business Education Labs	2	@25=50
Family/Consumer Economics Labs	2	@25=25	1 teacher; 2 instructional spaces
Technology Education Lab/CR	2	@25=25	1 teacher; 2 instructional spaces
Physical Education/Gymnasium	2	@50=50	large gym
Auxillary/Adaptive Use Gym	0	@25=
Library	1	@25= *NR	minimally adequate
Auditorium	0	@ = *NR
Cafeteria/Kitchen	1	@ = *NR	undersized; serving inefficient
Gen. Office	1	-- --	small; cramped
Principal	1	-- --
Assistant Principal	1	-- --
Guidance Offices	2	-- --	small adjacent rooms off corridor
Conference Room	0	-- --
Nurse/Clinic	1	-- --	inadequate space in main office
Faculty Lounge	1	-- --	small; adjacent to work room
Faculty Workroom	1	-- --	minimally adequate
ROSTERED Teaching Stations	48	=1072	Total Capacity
		=910	RATED CAPACITY @85% Utilization

*NR = Non-Rostered space: includes special subject, enrichment, and support areas, as well as
portable classrooms units which do not provide permanent capacity.