Prior to the 2016-17 school year, Watson Elementary School was known for its small class size and close-knit community. With the closing of Morton Elementary, Watson needed to expand and do away with the small class sizes. Due to this, Watson went through some serious renovations this last summer and opened its doors to 429 students. Previous students and returning staff are reacting and adapting to these changes in various ways.
On one hand, previous Watson student Morgan Long feels like the changes are exciting.
“It’s cool to see how much change has happened within the 6 years since I’ve been there,” Long said.
On the other hand, Long feels like the small class sizes helped her socially.
“Being with the same 20 or so kids for 6 years really allowed me to make great friendships and gave me a family feel. The consistency was nice,” Long said.
Long thinks the changes are overall positive.
“Although change is scary and different, I think it’s good and that Watson’s new look will work out great for all,” Long said.
Junior Ellie Moncrief feels the same about the social aspects of the old class sizes, but brought up a good point.
“I personally loved going to a small school, but for others, it might be good to meet more people before middle school,” Moncrief said.
Leslee Wischmeier has taught at Watson for 15 years and is adjusting to the new changes.
“Teaching at Watson before the expansion was like teaching with family. Now it is like teaching with a big, extended family. I would compare it to a big family reunion you haven’t been to before, so you have to figure out who everyone is and how everyone fits into the family,” Wischmeier said.
Not only has the change affected how teachers interact with their students, but it has also changed the way teachers interact with their co-workers.
“I miss seeing the staff more often. There are many amazing people working in the school, but I only see a handful of the same people each day,” Wischmeier said.
Wischmeier is also able to see the benefits of the now larger school.
“The larger school setting enables students to find other students with similar interests more easily. It provides avenues for finding new friends and creating clubs and afterschool programs based on these differences,” Wischmeier said.
Wischmeier feels that different connections are made in smaller schools compared to the connections made in larger schools.
“There are more connections between the different grade levels in the smaller schools, whereas in larger schools there are more students in each grade level and they see only students in that level most of the time,” Wischmeier said.
Wischmeier isn’t going to let any of the changes get in the way of her passion.
“Times have changed and so has our school, but what I love best about teaching is that kids haven’t changed. They are still kids and we will all be ok, no matter where we are,” Wischmeier said.
