By this time next year, the changes to the school and the way things operate will amount to more than a few new teachers and rule changes. The plan is to have all of the Freedom Area School District students on one campus by adding an addition to the middle school. The reasons for the change stem from declining enrollment and the condition of the elementary schools. “I think the conversation has been ongoing because enrollment is dropping, and that fluctuates from year to year, but we have these two buildings that are being run as separate elementary schools,” Principal Mr. Timothy Dadich said. Aside from declining enrollment, there is also an issue with the condition of Big Knob Elementary School. According to Dadich, the building is quite old and there are issues with the septic tank, which continues to shut down after repairs. The administration and those in charge of the decision managed to narrow down all of the options presented to two or three possibilities. Dadich said that the final decision of the single-campus layout will be made from looking at it from an “educational perspective.” The main changes occurring with this decision will be the location of the football field and the addition to the middle school. While middle school building modifications are in the works, the football field will be the first step in creating the single-campus idea. The space where the football field currently resides is needed for the middle school addition. The football field will most likely move to the space between the middle school and high school. Along with the location of the field, turf will replace the grass. The location of the addition will be located where the football field is currently standing. According to Dadich, the addition to the middle school will only be a corridor in which grades kindergarten through second will be located. It will be known as the primary center. The third and fourth graders will be added to the middle school after strategic classroom planning. While the middle school and surrounding area will see the greatest changes with this plan, the high school will have changes that are more like renovations. Some of the renovations include window replacement, the conversion of the swimming area into, possibly, a new gym and changes to the library. Numerous benefits could arise from having all students consolidated to a single campus. Some of the benefits could be the opportunities for elementary students, the money saved and the possible increase of school spirit. Having all grades on one campus would allow for easier transportation of teachers, which means certain classes that are exclusive to middle and high school students, such as foreign language, could be made available to the elementary school students. “Now ,we’re increasing the opportunities that we have, just not at nine through 12 or five through 12, but now K through 12,” Dadich said. Another benefit is the possibility of an increase in school spirit. “You build [school spirit] not from nine to 12, but the kids have to be excited to come up here, for them to see that,” Dadich said. With the elementary school children in such close proximity, increased school spirit is a possibility. “That’s pretty exciting,” Dadich said. One of the final benefits of the single-campus idea is the money that the district will save and be able to put elsewhere. Money will be saved by not having to run two elementary schools that are not being utilized completely and only running the middle school and the high school. Running only two cafeterias will also prove to be beneficial in the long run. “I know it sounds ridiculous, but we’ll actually save money by building all of that rather than running two separate elementary schools. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true,” Dadich said.