By: Lillie Lelko
The former Collegedale Academy (CA) Elementary School building could be the future home of the Mathematics Department and the School of Computing.
An email from Tom Verrill, senior vice president for Financial Administration, detailed plans for the renovations.
CA Elementary, originally called A.W. Spalding Elementary, was founded in 1928 and served as a demonstration school for Southern Adventist University (then named Southern Junior College), according to CA’s website.
The CA board approved plans for a new school building in 2022, and on Sept. 13, 2023, a groundbreaking ceremony was held at the site of the new CA Elementary.
According to CA’s website, the academy expanded an existing building on College Drive to create a facility that combines both the elementary and middle schools under one roof.
Renovations for the old building have already been planned, and the first phase of three is expected to be completed in 2026, according to Verrill.
He said Phase 1 of renovations is expected to modify the upper portion of the building, which includes several offices and nine classrooms.
Recent outdoor renovation included the removal of the playground next to the building. Since the playground was a popular recreation spot, some members of the community expressed their disappointment over its relocation.
It appears the playground was not only used by elementary students.
“I wish it came back; playgrounds are fun for people of all ages,” said Calvin Nesmith, a junior business public relations major.
Madeline Grunden, a senior communication major, said: “It was sad because the children can’t play, but also, I can’t go and play.”.
The playground and its equipment was donated to Beacon Academy.
Many look forward to moving to the old CA Elementary building. Professors at the School of Computing and the Mathematics Department expressed their excitement.
“I’m excited about the possibilities of moving the School of Computing to a new place,” said Harvey Alférez, a professor in the School of Computing. “It will provide us with more space for our classes and activities, as well as a tremendous opportunity to expand our programs with adequate space to accommodate more students.”
Ryan Loga, a professor in the Mathematics Department, shared his thoughts on what impact the move may have.
“I am generally excited for a change of space,” he said. “This move across the street should result in more space for everyone, not just [for] computer science and mathematics, but also [for] biology and chemistry to expand in Hickman. The past few years, we have had to teach a lot of classes outside of Hickman due to [increases in] scheduling and class sizes.”
But Loga also cited smaller offices and less-convenient access to the building among his concerns with the new location.
“I am very interested in how crossing University Drive will work for students,” he said. “Many years back, when I was a student at Southern, there was a crosswalk at the end of the promenade, but they removed it at some point.”
