New wing of middle school ready for students
Additions include classrooms, bathrooms, storage and office space
BY CHRIS GAETANO Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY SCOTT FRIEDMAN Clockwise from top - School District Business Administrator Anthony Tonzini talks about the expanded opportunities for students at Crossroads North Middle School in South Brunswick on Monday. Where a wall recently stood at the end of these lockers is now an opening to a brand new wing. A bank of sinks are part of a new science lab.

SOUTH BRUNSWICK - Crossroads North Middle School recently completed construction on its new wing, expanding capacity by about 200 students. The project's conclusion marks the end of a major renovation and expansion of the district's facilities funded through a 2003 bond referendum.

The new wing, which blends seamlessly with the rest of the building, adds five new standard classrooms, a new science room and a classroom that can split into two smaller rooms through a folding partition. Extra storage space, bathrooms and an office for the assistant principal were also added. Construction on the 10,900-square-foot addition began in November and was completed last week.

According to South Brunswick School District Business Administrator Anthony Tonzini, the project had a budget of $3.3 million and was completed for $3.2 million. According to Tonzini, the new wing was added to bring parity between the populations of Crossroads North, which has about 900 students, and South, which has about 1,100. The plan is to phase in more sixth-graders next school year, sixth- and seventh-graders the following year, and sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders the year after that.

Assistant Principal Mark Kmiec said that the new wing would be especially helpful for the students. Currently, the school maintains six classrooms in portables outside the main building, and the addition allows some of the classes, including some special education, to be moved inside.

"It gives them a larger space," Kmiec said.

World languages classes, meanwhile, will be moved into the space that is left behind, giving them a permanent home. According to Kmiec, the program had been somewhat nomadic before.

According to science teacher Ana Liptak, the new science room will be a huge improvement over her last classroom. She said that the outlets are now more sensibly placed, which will allow for the placement of a computer station. The lab tables, she said, are also an improvement since they are closer to the ground, making work easier for short students and short teachers. There is also additional whiteboard space and a brandnew iMac that doesn't block the view of the blackboard at the front of the room.

"It's a huge improvement," Liptak said.

The other projects included in the referendum are additions and renovations to Brunswick Acres, Cambridge, Constable, Greenbrook and Monmouth Junction schools. Work at Brunswick Acres and Greenbrook schools was completed in time for the start of the 2005-06 school year, while Cambridge, Constable and Monmouth Junction schools opened their doors on the first day of classes last school year.