Lake elementary school opening

Classes are expected to begin Sept. 3 at the new elementary school in the Lake district.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Aug. 25 for the 91,000-square-foot building that will house preschool through the fifth grade.
The new school has 49 classrooms, 20 more than the former Lake elementary building, which was demolished in July.
“We’re incredibly excited as our new school improves the elementary education experience by leaps and bounds,” said Marjoe Cooper, Lake superintendent. “We now have a state-of-the-art building where everything is designed to help students learn to the best of their abilities.”
For the past few weeks, teachers have been moving their materials to the new school as workers were putting the finishing touches on the $36 million building.
PreK-5 students will be on a staggered start schedule Sept. 3-5.
“The level of excitement our students, parents, and teachers feel is off the chart. Everybody is ready to move into their new ‘home’ and see all the wonderful features that are going to help our students to learn,” Mandy Wilburn, Lake elementary principal said.
After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the district held an open house for the community. The building has amenities such as a cafenasium, a space that functions as a lunchroom, gymnasium, and performance; restrooms in each PreK-1 grade classroom; hand washing sinks in each first-floor classroom, lockers for 4th and 5th grades, air conditioning, and enhanced safety systems.