By Darragh Doiron

The News staff writer

GROVES — Becky Wilson, Port Neches Middle School teacher, attended Tuesday’s school board meeting just to sneak a peek at color swatches.

“This will be my area,” she said, pointing to shades of red on a sample board in the Port Neches-Groves Independent School District board room.

Apple a Day, Bold Brick, Resounding Rose and Flower Pot were names for the reds in the 6th-grade pod where she will supervise students in the new school under construction.

Wilson was on an original color selection committee, and approved of slight variations in colors, textures and materials that have been changed to benefit costs. The board saw boards of the previous and current samples. LANWalton program management representatives reported the Port Neches and Groves Middle School buildings will now use “king” sized, instead of modular, brick to save costs. The board saw the swatches with slight differences in glazes, polishes, etc., which, builders say, will not affect the quality of the work.

The board also heard an update that work on the stadium at Port Neches-Groves High School is “slightly” behind schedule, but is still expected to be ready for a Friday, Oct. 10, home game.

While the score board should be functioning, the press box and elevator may not be. The elevator is designed for reaching the press box and is not intended for the general public.

Superintendent Dr. Lani Randall made a presentation of the district’s exemplary ratings in the recently-released Texas Education Agency report.

“I am very proud of the achievements in this district. I want to thank everybody. This is really good news,” she said.

Four campuses received an exemplary rating, three received a recognized rating and the high school and Groves Middle School received an academically acceptable rating.

Rusty Brittain, board president, said that academic excellence is important to the district and takes precedence even over new buildings. He said he hoped that current construction creates minimal disruption to classes when school begins.

Contact this reporter at ddoiron@panews.com.