By By Lindsey Sherrill
Escambia Academy will begin school next week amidst the tumult of major construction.
In June, EA began demolition of the old gym and middle school building. The structure, which was moved to EA in 1971, was originally the gym at a Brewton high school. Since the construction of the new high school building and gym, the structure had been used for PE classes, middle school classrooms and administrative purposes.
Since the demolition, the administrative offices have temporarily moved to the new gym. When school starts, several classes will be taught in the gym, while others will be taught in the high school building. The extra classes will be compensated for by using classrooms that were normally used for teachers' free periods.
"It's a lot of inconvenience, but it's going to work," Headmaster Judy Branum said.
Construction on the new building began shortly after the demolition. The new building will house a gym, five class rooms and the administrative complex. The class rooms will be used primarily for middle school classes, while the gym will be used for PE classes and junior varsity practices. The building will also include conference rooms and book rooms.
The rendering of the building was done by EA alumnus Gean Everette. Young Construction is in charge of construction. The building should be finished by November.
"We've known we needed it for at least five years, so we put together a plan year before last that we're now trying to implement," Branum said. "We're very excited. It's long overdue."
Escambia Academy opened in 1970 for grades first through tenth. Today, EA offers K4 through 12th education and enrolls approximately 245 students.