By Melissa Boyd (Whetstone Staff Writer)

Some education majors say they’re worrying about the relocation of the K-8 Campus Community School, originally located on-campus across from Zimmerman Hall.

But the education department said the relocation will not affect students.

Dr. Stuart Knapp, department chair of the education department, said the relocation is only a matter of transportation.

“The perceived difficulty may be a matter of less easy access,” he said. “That matter could be overcome with bus or van transportation provided.”

Knapp also said that because most teacher candidates are going to school for K-8 and only the Campus Community High School is closing, there will be little impact on the program as a whole.

Field experience and work-study at CCS will not be affected by the relocation or the closure of the high school.

“Students will be eligible to apply for work-study status in the K-8 program,” he said. “Students in their junior year will continue to conduct field experiences in the re-located K-8 building.”

Freshman KylieMae Allen still worries about the change.

“I feel like the elementary school moving is a big problem for our education department because it was a big help for us, as freshmen, to have it on campus [for observations],” she said.

Allen said she also feels bad about the high school closing and how it will affect the teachers there.

“I feel terrible for the high school teachers in losing their jobs,” she said. “I would go crazy and be so upset if I knew that I was now out of a job.”

Dr. Patricia Patterson, the program director of graduate studies and NCATE coordinator for the education department, said that the department will be minimally effected.

“The education department expects to continue to have a strong relationship with the K-8 school,” she said, adding that the CCS will be adding a kindergarten to their school for next year when they relocate to Pear Street in the high school building – only a half-mile from Wesley.

Dr. Jill Cole, the education K-8 program chair, said the few teacher candidates who wish to be high school teachers will need to find new placements for their field experience.

“CCHS follows the constructivist philosophy of learning and teaching that the education department espouses, which is different from traditional high schools,” she said.

A constructivist philosophy of learning includes a student-oriented classroom, rather than a teacher-oriented classroom, and involves students engaging in their learning by discussion or participation, rather than a teacher instructing the whole day.

“Not being able to see this philosophy in action at the high school level will be a loss for our teacher candidates,” Cole said.

Cole said that although some students might be happy about the students leaving campus, she will not be happy about it.

“I always felt that the presence of the children created a robust, multiage learning community on campus and I will miss it,” she said.