Daviess County Middle School will welcome students for their first day in the new facility on October 17, the Monday immediately following Fall Break. Open house events will be held in early October to allow students and families to visit the facility before the move into the new building.
Located at 3901 Fairview Drive, he new building design features four corridors that form a square around a 45,000-square-foot courtyard.
The front of the school will face the Fairview Drive extension. The gym will be the center of focus along the front of the building. To the right will be the main entrance and front office, along with other staff offices and a 5,308-square-foot media center/library. To the left is a 6,200-square-foot cafeteria along with the kitchen.
The other three corridors share identical layouts, with one each dedicated to 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. Each corridor has classrooms, science labs, computer labs, and restrooms.
According to Daviess County Public Schools Superintendent Matt Robbins, the district is expected to gain full occupancy of the new DCMS building on September 30.
DCMS parents and students will have the opportunity to visit the facility and participate in family pep rallies and open house nights hosted by grade. Open house nights will be held as follows:
- Oct. 4 for 8th-graders
- Oct. 5 for 7th-graders
- Oct. 6 for 6th-graders
Time and additional details will be shared with DCMS families in advance of the open house events.
There will also be an open house for anyone in the community to visit the facility from 1-4 p.m. on October 23.
On August 3, DCPS officials announced that the new DCMS location would not be ready to be occupied by the first day of school (August 10) due to construction recommendations. Instead, the school started the academic year in the previous DCMS location at 1415 East 4th Street.
Part of a message sent from families to Robbins read:
In today’s meeting with Danco Construction, it has been determined that the initial deadline to begin our year in the new location is no longer achievable. In previous meetings, Danco leadership have repeatedly assured us they would meet our target date of August 10 to open the school.
It was known for some time that the initial deadline would result in minor inconveniences for a short period. Final construction that did not impact instruction was slated to be completed immediately following the start of school. However, Danco’s current analysis of the remaining scope of work and subsequent local and state inspections presents a new picture. It is now apparent that it is in the best interest of our students and staff to begin the year at the old DCMS location.
