Open house held for Student Services Center

An open house was held Friday to showcase the Webb City R-7 Student Services Center.

The large building at 1000 N. Webb St. was formerly the Webb City American Legion and VFW building.

“We had the opportunity to purchase it in 2019, but we didn’t want to use it for a bingo hall,” said Superintendent Tony Rossetti.

The building’s interior was stripped to the steel beams in order to redesign it for the district’s needs.

It was attractive to the district because the purchase adjoins a lot of other district property. The adjacent former VFW Hall was previously purchased and converted to house Heritage Preschool.

To the west is Barnes Field, the baseball field that the district previously purchased from the American Legion.

Part of the Student Services Center has two well-equipped batting cages. Concessions are now sold out of a window on the west side of the Student Services Center. Restrooms for the baseball stadium are also in the center.

Rossetti also mentioned that the district has recently purchased 30 acres west of the baseball field.

Webb City CARES is one of the services that has moved to the Student Services Center.

It was previously located in a house on Jefferson Street west of the junior high.

WC CARES director Jesse DeGonia said the new location is spacious enough for 28 volunteers to assemble snack packs for kids to take home each weekend. The organization also provides shoes, clothes, eyeglasses and school supplies to students in need.

Special services staff members, whose offices were previously located in a house next to WC CARES, have also moved to the new center.

Additionally, the 18,000 square-foot center has offices for virtual learning, instructional coaches, and a daycare.

There’s also a large media-equipped room, which is where the School Board meets now.

The Webb City Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting for the center, and the Elks Club donated a check.