MONROE COUNTY, Ga. — Friday is the first day of school for kids in Monroe County.
As the new school year approaches, students and faculty will see new improvements around campuses.
"Good start to the new school year," says Chuck Simmons, a Mary Persons teacher.
Simmons isn’t talking about the brand new dry erase markers to write down assignments for Economics.
"It’s brighter, the new lighting. It just feels like a completely different room -- a lot fresher, a lot newer," says Simmons.
Simmons’ classroom at Mary Persons went through a makeover this summer.
Half of the school has fresh paint, carpet, and ceiling lights.
Assistant Superintendent Jackson Daniel says Mary Persons is almost 40 years old, so it was time for an upgrade.
"The areas that were touched, you can see a significant difference in how bright, and how lit those hallways are, so, again, when you’re in the part of the building we touched this summer, it looks like a brand-new school," says Daniel.
They plan to finish the rest next summer.
As soon as students walk in, the transformed common area and front office will greet them.
"Everybody likes something new. With the new school year, just a new bright, new face lift, black-and-gold colors are very prominent," says Daniel.
The school system used E-SPLOST funds for the projects. At Banks Stephens Middle School, county funding provided a new turn lane on Thornton Road.
"We’ve always had a lot of heavy traffic in that area -- it’s a two-lane road that connects TG Scott and Bank Stephens Middle School. Plus, Highway 41 is a federal highway, so it’s very highly-traveled," says Daniel.
To help with carpool traffic, the school system also added three lanes for pick-up and drop-off at the middle school, making a lane for sixth-graders, as well as seventh- and eighth-graders.
Simmons says, "Everybody seems to be excited about the new look."
There is only one more day until students fill classrooms, and Simmons believes the revamp will make students excited to learn.
"If you put the time and energy and money into even the building, then it reflects how the kids feel about being here and how they feel about the time getting their education," says Simmons.
Daniel says that next summer, they plan to add classrooms on three wings.
This will give more space for students now that sixth-graders are joining seventh and eighth on the campus.
The school system used part of their $9 million E-SPLOST funds to complete this work and next summer’s work.