A Short Walk Home by Kyle McLaren
Construction of Madison Midtown at the former Sears property across from Melbourne High was almost completed. Within the span of two years, buildings and fixtures were demolished, and new four-story apartment buildings were constructed, adding 245 housing units to the 14-acre property. Construction was set to be completed in April, with the former Sears store housing over 600 storage units. The project, which aimed to provide modern and luxurious apartments to local families, made staff and students wonder about potential impacts on the school’s enrollment. Assistant principal of curriculum Ms. Jennifer Williams had seen many enrollment fluctuations in her three years at the school. “At the beginning of this year, we were at about 2,260 [students], and now we have about 2,215. My first year, we were at about 2,100,” said Ms. Williams.
Ms. Michele Canose, director of the school counseling department, has been at the school since 2004, and didn’t mind the construction. “If it brings more housing to our county, hopefully it makes housing more affordable. I work with students who are homeless and are in transitional housing, and hopefully it’s affordable to help them,” Ms. Canose said. With such a large student body and being at capacity, any additional families moving into the new apartments could create new accommodations to make room for new students. “We have fewer parking spaces than students in our senior class, so it’s a bit tight,” Ms. Williams said. “Traditionally, Melbourne High is overcapacity in enrollment, which means that there’s less students from outside the zone that can attend,” said Ms. Canose.
With a growing school community, new programs were also being introduced into the curriculum. “We’re adding some programs like the VyStar Program of Business. We also have a partnership with Health First for the CNA program,” said Ms. Williams. “We are in the process of going into the Middle Years Program for IB, which will continue to bring education. We also have more technology-based programs, such as our TV production program, credit union program, and vocational programs. As a matter of fact, last year we had 350 9th and 10th graders eligible for dual enrollment, and now we have 600,” Ms. Canose said.
Leasing for the apartments started towards the end of the first school semester, and families with high-school-aged students have already moved in. Four out of five students disliked the idea of living across from the school. “I wouldn’t enjoy waking up on weekends or in the summer and seeing the school,” said Noah Brown. With investments in academic programs and campus resources, Melbourne High continued to grow and expand to educate the students it served.
Caption: Press to Walk: Before and after school, some students cross Babcock Street using the crosswalk in front of Starbucks. “I use the crosswalk for safety reasons, and because I take the bus”. said Milan Hadley. “I cross to get from the Starbucks. I usually order an Acai Refresher,” Maddie Toenjes said. Kateryna Paryhina used the crosswalk to get from her apartment to the school. “I like living next to the school. I leave five minutes before the first bell,” said Paryhina. The Babcock Street crosswalk was one of three crosswalks near the school where students crossed at to get to places such as Starbucks, the Melbourne Shopping Center, or the SCAT bus stops.
Photo by Kyle McLaren