Roof needs repairs at Hunter Lake Elementary
Kindergarteners work in the computer lab on Thursday at Hunter Lake Elementary School. The school has a higher student to teacher ratio than the Washoe County average, the state and the nation.
The Washoe County School District community and business leaders recently voted to seek an increase in vehicle registration fees and sales tax to sell $393 million in bonds for school repairs and new technology. We take a look at some of the older campuses and their needs.
Hunter Lake Elementary School’s has a a higher student to teacher ratio (19.25) than the Washoe County average (18.63), the state (17.83) and the nation (15.74).
About
Hunter Lake is located in Southwest Reno and follows a traditional school calender.
- Address: 909 Hunter Lake Drive
- Phone: 333-5040
- Year built: 1955
- Enrollment: 406
- Capacity: 464
- Fun fact: Hunter Lake’s school mascot is a dragon.
Highlights
Originally, the school’s roof was built on a slope so that snow and rain would run off smoothly onto the curves of the sidewalk. But the rain and snow collects on school pathways, making snow and ice a concern for students during the winter, Principal Neil Schott said.
Renovations
Schott said he described himself as an optimistic and a realistic person. That is why, he said, he does not believe Hunter Lake needs many upgrades or improvements.
“I think it goes back to what’s nice to have and what’s a need to have,” Schott said. “The most important things we need for teaching, we have.”
Schott said he is satisfied with most of the school’s infrastructure and technology.
However, new windows would be ideal to preserve energy, he said. The sun has darkened the school’s vinyl windows to a point where they are dark gray.
When a window breaks, the school district replaces it with a new glass window.
A room for music instruction is also needed. The music teacher uses the school’s multi-purpose room, also used as a cafeteria, to provide music lessons.
Storage space in older schools is a common problem, Schott said. For example, he said it’s hard to find space to store the school’s Christmas tree.
Technology
The E. L. Cord Foundation Center for Learning and Literacy donated more than $25,000 to Hunter Lake for 30 new personal computers.
The older computers were dispersed among various classrooms. Some of those computers are more than 10 years old, but Schott said they function well and serve as good teaching tools.
Schott said it would be ideal if there were more than two Internet connections in each room.
This article originally appeared in Reno Gazette-Journal.
