MINOT, ND ( KXNET ) — Central Middle School will be seeing both new students and new staff as the newest school in the Magic City.

There are a variety of tasks that take place in prepping the new school for incoming students.

“One thing is the basics, too, of switching over your name in Google and when people search ‘central,’ it doesn’t come up as Central High School, so some basic things we would think as of that,” said Britni Schmalz a professional counselor at Central Middle School.

Most of the staff came from Jim Hill Middle School with others coming from local area elementary schools including the now-closed Bell and McKinley Elementary Schools.

Schmalz mentions one thing they are focusing on at Central is their social and emotional learning.

“One thing is just having them inside the building and as we go throughout, one of the big things just in middle school is coming together comprised of different family elements but coming together as one group no matter what middle school you are coming from,” said Schmalz.

They will have a parent booster club for the school and Schmalz says it is going to be amazing to help boost the morale of their teachers and help everyone feel like family at Central Middle School.

Principal Nathan Freeman says that the hardest thing of a new campus starting from scratch is big picture thinking.

Not just staffing, but making sure teacher class sizes are balanced, coordinating multiple groups of people like custodial staff, having the kitchen set up, working with office people, and making sure everyone is doing their part to get the school up and running.

“Communicating with others that is a key piece of it, asking for help when you need it, reaching out to colleagues in the district as well that are working all summer long,” said Freeman.

Last April they had an opportunity to meet as a staff to learn about each other which has helped with them to make the school their own and build bonds as a family unit.

Staff are helping students ease their anxiety with what they are doing for classes.

“So our sixth grade classes are all close in proximity so that anxiety of elementary kids coming into a middle school especially in such a big building, that’s reduced knowing, hey, I only have to walk 20,30,40 feet down the hall to my next class instead of going from first floor to third floor back to second floor and all over the place,” said Freeman.

Around 500 students will be attending the school and they wont be the only ones figuring out where everything is at in the school.

There will also be just under 50 teachers and 15 paraprofessionals.

Freeman says what he thinks is the most rewarding thing of this whole process.

“Just seeing the dedication people have for this school already. We are not out opening the doors yet, but we have a lot of things happening behind the scenes. Teachers are coming in, a lot of people have spent hundred of hours this summer just planning things,” said Freeman.

The first day of school for Minot Public Schools is August 21.

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