Mississippi district to rebuild junior high closed since Hurricane Katrina

From The Mississippi Press: The Moss Point (Miss.) School District is reviewing plans to rebuild Magnolia Junior High School. The current school building has been closed since Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, and students have been attending school at the old Ed Mayo Junior High School facilities. The work on the Magnolia facility will cost about $8.9 million; the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency are expected to pay for $6.2 million. Proposed improvements include a stone clock tower at the front entrance, curved brick walls along the front of the building, electronic monitors throughout the hallways and a small museum of Moss Point's history. The new building is slated to open December 2010. This year, about 430 students are enrolled. The new building could comfortably accommodate 650 students. The architect is Gary Bailey.