What’s new at Manual in 2019-20?

Reece Gunther • August 12, 2019

Returning students will notice a lot of new things at Manual this year. Here are some of the most notable changes:

1. Building renovations

Many hallways and classrooms in the building will now have drop ceilings covering up older wiring and pipes as well as parts of the new heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system Manual installed over the summer.

“One of the biggest changes is the ceilings being lowered. Construction on these is complete for now,” Mr. Darryl Farmer said. Photo by Maddie Gamertsfelder.

Manual’s Butch Charmoli Gymnasium now has air conditioning and LED lights.

Stopped by Butch Charmoli Gym to check the progress. The lights are BRIGHT and the AC is 🥶!! pic.twitter.com/9pTEapA9UL
— Manual Athletics (@ManualAthletics) August 5, 2019

The small gym now also features a drop ceiling and a large fan in the middle of the room.

Contractors completed work on the small gym last week. Photo by Maddie Gamertsfelder.

Manual’s library, closed for most of the second semester last year, also underwent renovations. Mr. Farmer said that it should be open and functional soon after the school year begins.

The library’s largest change for this school year is its new carpet. Manual’s Y-club hosted a service event to help Ms. Causey, the new librarian, get set up for the first day of school. Photo by Maddie Gamertsfelder.

Many of the classrooms were shifted around during this construction period and created new classrooms. Contractors working with JCPS Facilities added several additional classrooms, including in the MST wing, where many teachers moved to new rooms.

This is what one of the new classrooms looks like after renovations. Many volunteers came in to help new and old teachers get set up for the first day of school. Photo by Maddie Gamertsfelder.

2. Crimson Hours

Manual’s Crimson Hour days have found their way into Manual’s permanent schedule, similar to last year. However, this school year, Crimson Hour will occur in the middle of each six weeks rather than at the end. This year’s Crimson Hour days are September 6, October 18, December 6, January 29, and March 20.

3. New staff

duPont Manual High School welcomes 16 new faculty and staff during today's 2019-20 school year opening. Welcome to the RamFam! pic.twitter.com/guSrGdh7nx
— duPont Manual HS (@duPontManual) August 13, 2019

Since RedEye’s original post, Manual welcomed several new faculty. As of Tuesday August 13, this is the updated list:

Meghan Alvey (math)
Dawn Roy (math)
Kenneth Stovall (math)
David Robinson (health & PE)
Josh Gillispie (health & PE)
Dujuana Wilson (English)
Jesse Simpson (chemistry)
Julie Clinkenbeard (art)
Jane Jones (YPAS theatre)
Robert Upton (YPAS Design & Production)
Deris Cox (YPAS security)
Dwayana Garrett (ECE)
Carrie Thomas (ECE)
Tiffany Schneider (ECE)
Chynese Johnson (front office)
Elise Christensen (mental health counselor)

Many of these teachers will fill the vacancies that previously had assistant principals listed as the teachers. For example, during registration many students noticed that their schedule listed Ms. Vicki Lete as their chemistry teacher. Mr. Farmer said that she will not be teaching and her name was only listed as a placeholder.

Ms. Elise Christensen will serve as Manual’s mental health practitioner, a new position created at every JCPS school for the 2019-2020 school year.

About the Contributor

Reece Gunther, Editor-in-Chief

Reece Gunther was a co-Editor-in-Chief of Manual RedEye for the 2019-20 staff. He enjoys spreading kindness, helping the less fortunate and promoting laughter. You can often find him listening to podcasts or exploring the world around him, from parks to volunteer opportunities. You can contact him at [email protected]

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