Civil Municipal Magazine - Dec 2023

288 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 12 Additionally, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, virtual learning has also become a permanent option for certain areas of the curriculum. “We just schedule that into their regular scheduled schooling, and they can go to the media center or a lab during the day to complete that work,” Dr. Brown says. A Commitment to Improving the Student Journey With such a range of experiences available to ECSS students, there is a big focus on ensuring that their learning environment is as up-to-date and safe as possible. “We’ve used some grant money as well as local money to improve safety within our buildings,” Dr. Brown says, referring to the various safety upgrades, like bullet-resistant glass and AI- powered camera systems, that underscore the district’s commitment to student well-being. Beyond safety, major upgrades in quality have also been made. “In the last few years… [we’ve] made some major improvements to our CTAE Labs. Our Healthcare, Food, and Welding Labs are all getting new equipment,” Dr. Brown explains. Additionally, the district’s canning plant has even been upgraded with a new walk-in cooler, which will certainly go far, as the plant provides a service not only to the ECSS but to the Early County community as a whole. “They’ve had over 200 customers and have processed over 140,000 containers of food,” Dr. Brown says. However, even with all of these recent improvements having been made, there is still more to come for the ECSS, specifically in the realm of district infrastructure. In fact, in the next few years, the district will be executing its plans to consolidate its three school buildings—High, Middle, and Elementary—into two buildings by adding a new wing to the Middle School to make room for Elementary students. Because of private and homeschooling options that become much more abundantly available post-COVID, the ECSS experienced a slight decline in its student body, so this consolidation