Facilities
River Bend Middle School was built in 2017. It is one of the most clean and well maintained buildings I have been to in the Wake County Public School System. The two custodians and the night crew outdo themselves. River Bend is one of the few middle schools to have a main gym and an auxiliary gym. It has plenty of space for electives- Band, Art, Theater, Dance, CTE, and Spanish. The auditorium is beautiful: aisle lighting and stadium seating in the back of the room. There is also an elevator for those that may need it to get to the sound booth. There is also space for sports. River Bend has their own football field, baseball/softball field, track, and outdoor basketball court. Off of the entrance from the cafeteria, there is a courtyard with picnic tables. There is plenty of staff parking in the back of the building. Carpool is located in the back of the building, and bus riders enter through the front of the building. There is plenty of signage throughout the school, which is in Spanish and in English. The stairwells are spacious; plenty of room for multiple students to walk up or down at the same time. On each floor, there are wide lockers students can use throughout the year. Extended Content Standards students have their own lockers outside of their classroom, which also has a kitchen and a bathroom located inside. The student bathrooms throughout the building are labeled as "Men" and "Women" and not "Boys" and "Girls".
Although River Bend is a newer school, there are a few areas that could be improved. First, there is a window nook on each hall of the building where students can easily hide. As a solution, teachers are not assigning lockers to students within this nook, so students cannot use the excuse that they are at their locker. If students are seen hanging out in the nook, teachers know they do not belong there. Another, is the visitor parking is on the front-side of the building. For those unfamiliar with the school or who may need assistance, it can be seen as a long walk to the front entrance. Also, the front entrance does not have an awning, so during inclement weather, one has to stand in the elements waiting to be buzzed inside. As a solution, which would not be easy, would be to add an awning to the front entrance or a partial one where the camera is located. Also, there is a lot of green space in the front of the building. Another solution, would be to take away some of that green space and add two to three handicapped parking spots, to make it easier for those that need assistance to enter the building.
Although River Bend is a newer school, there are a few areas that could be improved. First, there is a window nook on each hall of the building where students can easily hide. As a solution, teachers are not assigning lockers to students within this nook, so students cannot use the excuse that they are at their locker. If students are seen hanging out in the nook, teachers know they do not belong there. Another, is the visitor parking is on the front-side of the building. For those unfamiliar with the school or who may need assistance, it can be seen as a long walk to the front entrance. Also, the front entrance does not have an awning, so during inclement weather, one has to stand in the elements waiting to be buzzed inside. As a solution, which would not be easy, would be to add an awning to the front entrance or a partial one where the camera is located. Also, there is a lot of green space in the front of the building. Another solution, would be to take away some of that green space and add two to three handicapped parking spots, to make it easier for those that need assistance to enter the building.