Parents, students get a look at newly renovated Gateway Middle School

Gateway School District students entering fifth through eighth grade are getting a chance to tour their newly-remodeled — and consolidated — middle school this week.

Gateway Middle School in Monroeville opened its doors to incoming students starting Monday, after extensive renovations over the past three years. It will consolidate the district’s approximately 1,000 students in grades 5-8 under one roof.

“We had Moss Side and Gateway middle schools, and both were in need of some repair,” said Gateway Middle School Principal Michael Jack. “That’s what started the first discussions about eight years ago. Our superintendent at the time had also talked about eliminating a (building) transition by putting fifth and sixth grades with seventh and eighth.”

The Gateway Middle School property, with existing athletic facilities, was chosen as the place to do it. Jack said the renovation offered a chance to redesign the building’s interior.

“We’re mindful that fifth graders are a lot different than eighth graders, so the design of the building was very specific, with four classroom wings, one for each grade,” he said. Lunches also are organized by grade level.

Jack said he’s looking forward to gaining back some space and opportunity after three years of construction.

“Now we have multiple gymnasiums that will allow students to be more active,” he said. “We have a state-of-the-art library that’s a place kids can study, it’s got a TV studio connected to it. We wanted to make that space a place where students want to hang out and interact.”

An auditorium which seats nearly 900 people will also have ripple effects across the district.

“We’ve spent the last three years kind of borrowing (event space) from the high school and working around each other’s schedules,” Jack said. “For things like honors evenings and music concerts, the auditorium will be invaluable.”

The renovation also offered a chance to reconfigure vehicle movement around the school.

“Unfortunately we don’t have a road that runs all the way around the property,” Jack said. “But we made an effort to create some separation between the 24 buses and 8-10 vans that pick up and drop off students, and parents who are doing the same thing. Until day one, we won’t know if it’s a perfect plan, but it’s something we can tweak as the year gets under way.”

The middle school will host an Aug. 20 open house with a 5 p.m. ribbon cutting and tours from 6-8 p.m. The school is at 4450 Old William Penn Highway in Monroeville.