Shaw transformed into magnet school

MOBILE, Ala. - After sitting nearly vacant for two years, Shaw High school is coming back to life.

School system maintenance workers who would normally be scattered throughout the county over the summer are all working the same job: 16 hours, seven days a week. School officials say the goal is to turn Shaw into a state-of-the-art facility for magnet students.

"That's all new tile. They dug all that out to get to the drain and open the drains," Suzanne Yates said.

Suzanne Yates is director of Child Nutrition. She said work to update the cafeteria includes equipment from several of the schools that were closed this year.

"We just take the best equipment that's in each one, making, I guess you can say, a super-kitchen," she said.

The board approved $1.5M for the materials alone. The project will include new lighting, fiber-optics and a smart board for every classroom.

It's a major challenge for system with little money, and an even smaller maintenance work force. But the biggest challenge will be finishing in time for the August 10 start of school.

Yates says the deadline is even tighter for the cafeteria.

"I hope we have it by the end of July," she said.

Rocky Patel's son will attend the new school. He had thought about it before, but the school was too far away.

"Last year we got attendance to Clark and Chickasaw, but somehow we didn't move to there, so this time we got in at Clark," Patel said.

School administrators say it's the biggest renovation program taken on by school system employees in 10 years. The school board is expected to vote on a new name for the magnet school. If voting goes as expected most folks will know the school as Clark Magent School.