By Bill Turque and Tim Craig
Tuesday, August 25, 2009

The spotty air conditioning sometimes drove spring and summer temperatures to 100 degrees in Ferebee-Hope Elementary School's gym.

There was no audible fire alarm system. Kids played on expanses of dingy, moldy brown carpet. The 1970s-vintage "open classroom" design, which eliminated walls to foster closer collaboration among teachers, created only chaos.

The school, in Ward 8's Woodland Terrace neighborhood, was, D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee said, "probably the darkest and most depressing school we had."

But Monday was a new day for the school that Principal Sharron Stroman calls "the Hope." A crash $5.2 million renovation this summer, part of a $1 billion overhaul of the District's 125 schools, created 29 bright, cheerful classrooms with touch-screen "smart boards." The carpet is out; brand-new heating, cooling and fire suppression systems are in.

"We are going to do right by the children of the south side," exulted Stroman, dressed in the school's burgundy and khaki colors.

For thousands of District students, Monday was not only the first day of classes but also the first in newly renovated buildings. The work includes more than $100 million worth of improvements to School Without Walls Senior High School; Deal Middle School; Wheatley Education Campus; and H.D. Cooke and Savoy elementary schools.

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