Officials Look Forward To New Calvert Middle

County's Oldest School to Be Replaced

During a quick groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday for the new Calvert Middle School, officials joked about how the old building has been in dire need of replacing for years.

The current facility, at Route 4 and Dares Beach Road, was built in 1941 and is the county's oldest school. It has no science labs or consistency in classroom size. The hallways are narrow, and the gym and lunchroom are cramped. There are few windows, making much of the school gloomy. Part of the roof is made of wood and needs to be replaced.

"It has run out of oomph," Superintendent Jack R. Smith said.

The new school, a state-of-the-art, two-story brick facility, will be built next to Calvert High School on Dares Beach Road in Prince Frederick. Each classroom will be a standard size with large windows, new furnishings and proper wiring for technology. The common spaces will be larger and well-lighted.

The 104,000-square-foot school will cost nearly $24 million in state and local money. Construction crews have begun to clear the site, and the school is scheduled to be completed in January 2010. Until then, students will attend classes in the existing facility.

The outdoor groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday afternoon lasted barely 15 minutes, as officials raced through their remarks in the cold wind and light snow.

State Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert) praised the collaboration between state and county entities.

Wilson H. Parran (D-Huntingtown), president of the county Board of Commissioners, lauded what he called the "very good relationship" between the commissioners and the school board.

Mary D. Garvey (Owings), vice president of the school board, said that although the middle school "has served us for many, many years," people are excited to replace it.

The superintendent held up a drawing of the new building, and Principal Bruce Hutchison waved to the shivering crowd. And then the state, county and school officials each grabbed a shovel, scooped some dirt and quickly retreated to their cars.