Some 120 students at Centre Elementary School, along with faculty members, are shuffling between rooms again today in an effort to keep warm.

The boiler system which provides the heat to the approximately 27,000 square foot facility stopped working last Thursday and measures are being taken to keep everyone warm until it can be replaced.

We went to the school in order to speak with Centre Elementary Principal Brian Johnson in regard to the situation – however, we learned that on Monday – he put in for a vacation day today (Tuesday).

We met with Superintendent Mitchell Guice at the school around 10:00am to see first-hand how everyone was coping with the situation.

Team-teaching methods have been put into place – with two classes being held at the same time in the warmer rooms; portable space heaters are being utilized, and the computer lab itself was very comfortable due to the heat being generated by the electronic equipment in addition to portable heaters.

Superintendent Guice said that the school board is researching every avenue in an effort to install a new boiler as quickly as possible:

Guice said they’ve even looked into the possibility of renting a portable boiler system in the meantime:

Fortunately, the forecast is calling for a slight upswing in temperatures over the remainder of the week.

We expect to learn more about what measures will be taken – and when – during tonight’s Board of Education meeting. That meeting, which is open to the public, is set for 6:00pm in the Central Board Office on East Main Street in Centre.