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It started as a papier-maché model of a mine tunnel, built in the corner of a classroom. Teachers Janet Bremer and Rick Rogers were teaching a unit on Nevada mining. The idea was to give fourth-grade students a glimpse of what it might be like to be in a mine. Then the Gordon McCaw Elementary School staff met and decided to "think big." Now, less than three years later, the McCaw School of Mines is a 420-m2 (4,500-sq ft) reality at McCaw Elementary School in Henderson, NV.
And on Sept. 11, following a miner's pancake breakfast, the McCaw School of Mines was officially dedicated. An estimated 1,200 students, parents, community leaders, miners and city and state officiáis attended the ceremony. Speakers included Nevada Gov. Bob Miller, Clark County School Superintendent Brian Cram and mine architect Bill Snyder.
"The dedication ceremony represents the culmination of thousands of hours of work by hundreds of people, including the kids," said Janet Dobry, principal of McCaw Elementary School. "We really worked hard to make this a project for the kids and we have achieved that goal."
The million-dollar mining experience that is McCaw was built from donations. The mine is located west of the school on schools grounds, but no school district money was used to build it. Tate and Snyder Architects and the students of McCaw Elementary School drew up the plans. Then Tate...