Pizitz Middle School prepares for May move

Pizitz Middle School soon will move just a few miles south into its new home on Columbiana Road.

The new Pizitz Middle School, which is going into the building that formerly was Berry High School and later Berry Middle School, was purchased from the Hoover Board of Education in 2016 and will increase the space for Vestavia Hills middle school students by about 16,000 square feet. The campus has about 195,000 square feet total.

The move from the current facility on Pizitz Drive is expected to begin May 26, said Patrick Martin, assistant superintendent of operations and services.

This is just one of two moves taking place, Martin said. Ninth-grade teachers from Vestavia Hills High School also will be moving their classroom materials to the current Pizitz campus, which will be a freshman campus this fall.

Staff members are working to pack their belongings and get them ready for Armstrong Moving Services to take them to their new home, Martin said. Staff members will let Armstrong know how they want their rooms laid out, and the company will ensure it is laid out appropriately and return to do a post-move inspection.

Armstrong coordinated the move last year to the new Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge, which was a bit different than this move, Martin said. That move pulled teachers and equipment from all over the district.

“From a logistical standpoint, the hope would be that this is an easier move,” Martin said.

With the spread of the new coronavirus, Martin said he’s glad they aren’t making a move like they did last year.

The virus has also impacted how the company trains its staff, but the school system is going to make the move as easy for teachers as possible, Martin said.

System leaders discussed the possibility of making the move earlier because schools have no students on campus now, but they decided to stay with the current timeline.

The move from old Pizitz to new Pizitz should take about 14 days, while the move of some freshman materials to the new freshman campus should take about seven days, Martin said.

Students were originally expected to move to the new Pizitz before the 2019-20 school year, but heavy rains and subsequent construction delays pushed the move back.

Major work at the new site has included replacing the roof and building a new choir room, band room and gym, as well as other interior work. Other internal work includes painting and flooring, and more carpool queuing space has been added at the recommendation of Jefferson County.

The new Pizitz campus, in addition to providing students more space and allowing for long-term growth, is also modular in design, with each grade having its own building, Martin said.

Chris Pennington, principal at Pizitz, is working with his PTO to memorialize the history of Pizitz at the new campus, Martin said.

Also, the central office is working with Vestavia Hills High School Principal Tyler Burgess and Assistant Principal David Howard on how to best modify the freshman campus to fit students’ needs.