Inside Clover’s new middle school

Clover School District will open two new schools this fall - Oakridge Elementary School in Lake Wylie and Clover Middle School. Public open house tours for both schools is Aug. 7. The elementary school event is at 2 p.m., and middle school at 4 p.m.

A $40 million middle school at the intersection of Barrett Road and Highway 55. The school is modeled after Oakridge Middle School, which opened in 2008, just reversed in layout. It also includes energy-efficient changes including lower hallway ceilings and in the cafeteria/auditorium.

The new campus will include outdoor educational classrooms, and athletic facilities for baseball, softball, football, soccer and track.

The new Clover Middle school will have 805 students when it opens under the proposed rezoning. Oakridge Middle would have 850 students.

Construction is moving fast. Within a week from the July 12 tour, almost all of the lockers are up, the front office is built, the library has been built and arranged, and desks have been placed in classrooms.

The new $23 million elementary school is across the street from Oakridge Middle School. It features an eight-lane track with an athletic field under construction that also will be open to the community.

The school addresses overcrowding at Crowders Creek Elementary School. Oakridge Elementary will have an estimated 600 students when it opens in the fall, with 669 students at Crowders Creek Elementary. The new Oakridge school has a capacity of 900 students and Crowders Creek can accommodate up to 1,450 students.

The new schools were part of a $99 million construction package approved by voters in a March 2014 bond vote.

The aquatic and fitness center on Charlotte Highway in Lake Wylie near Crowders Creek Elementary School is scheduled to open Labor Day weekend. The $17 million center is partnership with the Upper Palmetto YMCA, which will manage day-to-day operations, but the district will own the facility.

This story was originally published July 26, 2016 at 10:01 AM with the headline "Inside Clover’s new middle school."