We were raising money to help upgrade our school.
About Our School About Our School North Middle School has a rich tradition in the Fort Zumwalt School District. The current 100 Wing was built in 1952 as a stand alone elementary school for Grades 1-8. It was the only school building in the entire Fort Zumwalt School District for eight years. From 1952 to 1960, high school students went to either the Wentzville or St. Charles School District. The current 400 and 500 Wings were added in 1960 as a stand alone high school for Grades 9-12. Our current 300 Wing was added in 1967 as a stand alone building in-between the elementary and high school to serve as a shared facility. Also in 1967, a major addition was added onto the 100 Wing that became our current guidance office, 100 and 103 gymnasiums, 200 Cafeteria, and adjacent classrooms in the older section of the 200 Wing. The existence of an elementary school and high school on our site explains the origin of our two kitchens and two cafeterias. The three buildings, known as “A,” “B,” and “C” were connected with a covered walkway. In the fall of 1976, the campus became Central Junior High School for Grades 7-9 when the high school moved to the North High campus.
There remained three separate buildings until 1982 when a major renovation connected all three buildings with enclosed corridors. Dropped ceilings, fresh paint, and recessed lighting updated the building’s appearance. The current main office was constructed to house the head principal’s office. The old library was converted to what are now Rooms 305, 306, 320, and 321 and the current library was constructed.
The building changed from Central Junior High to North Middle School for Grades 6-8 in the fall of 1987. Due to the rapid growth of the school district, some large classrooms, including a large multipurpose team room, were divided into two smaller rooms to serve as special education classrooms. In the summer of 1993, new windows were installed in the 100 and 200 Wings and air conditioner units were installed for the first time in all classrooms. In 1996, the technology education room and library were renovated and modernized for the “information age.” In addition, new floor tile was laid in the halls, dropped ceilings and recessed lights were installed in classrooms, and many exterior doors were replaced.
In the fall of 1996, the 408 Gym was renamed the Charles L. Myrant Gymnasium in honor of this former principal. In the summer of 1998, the two computer labs were networked and wired for Internet access along with the offices. In the summer of 1999, a modern telephone system was installed. A wide area network was installed in 2005.
In January of 2005, students returned from Winter Break to open a large new addition. The 200 and 300 Wings were extended westward to add approximately 20 classrooms, a new clinic, a copy center, a conference room, a para workroom, an MR suite, a third computer lab, and a 7th grade assistant principal’s office. This addition included two cross corridors and a beautiful courtyard near the main office.
It was a long journey from its inception in 1952 to completion in 2005. With three gymnasiums, a stage, two cafeterias, a track, spacious outdoor P.E. facilities, a Library Media Center, computer labs, and modern classrooms, our school kept pace with a changing world and reinvented itself for early adolescents and an innovative staff. The final product is a facility that represents the workmanship of a bygone era and the special amenities that would now be cost prohibitive in school construction.
