Nye County may be home to only 17 schools, but they're spread out over one of the largest counties in the nation, and making sure each school is safe, functioning, and up-to-date enough to accommodate recent technology is no small feat for the eight-man Maintenance and Operations Department.

The crew, with the help of sub-contractors, has worked all summer, making improvements, adding modulars, and doing all the crucial work that, although often times unseen, keeps the district and its schools running.

All the schools in the district have had maintenance work done on their air conditioning and refrigeration systems, ensuring that the students and staff will stay cool and the food doled out in the cafeteria will be fresh.

Manse Elementary School students can look forward to more room to run around in during recess since the campus was expanded, which meant the maintenance crew was busy installing additional fencing around the campus.

The school will also have a new library thanks the maintenance workers' efforts to remodel the old office where the library will be located.

Gabbs Elementary School had its asbestos removed, making it safer for everyone in it.

Keeping up with the ever-increasing technology needs of the district has also been a challenge that was duly met under the hot summer sun.

All the schools have had massive electrical work done so that every classroom will be able to house computers.

J.G. Johnson Elementary school has a new phone system so that it can accommodate a phone in every classroom, and Mt. Charleston Elementary school had an underground conduit installed so that phone and data lines could be expanded.