From an idea first broached at meetings years ago to actual approval in recent months by the Mitchell Board of Education, the new Longfellow Elementary has so far been nothing more than hopes, proposals, financial planning and blueprints.
Friday, construction of the new school in Mitchell becomes reality, and with that comes a certain sense of joy, said Principal Mary Wilson.
"I don't think it's relief, but just a building of joy," she said. "The children will be so enthusiastic about this on Friday. You feel that sense right now."
A ceremony to commemorate groundbreaking on the new building will be at noon Friday at the current school, located at 929 E. Second. Speakers will include a member of the Mitchell Area Chamber of Commerce board, Superintendent Joe Graves and emcee Dan Beukelman. A ceremonial dig will take place, and the school's student body -- about 220 kids strong -- will release small discs into the air to acknowledge the final countdown and beginning of construction.
The ceremony will take place rain or shine, Wilson said, and the public is invited to attend.
ADVERTISEMENT
Among those in attendance likely will be many of the parents and other school boosters who have worked for months to bring the new school to fruition, Wilson said.
"There have been lots of meetings," she said. "We spent a lot of time talking about necessity, whether or not we needed a new building. When we determined there was a need, (talks turned to) what it should look like."
The result is a planned $8.5 million project that is expected to be completed in fall 2010. Since the new school will be constructed in the playground area of the current building, students will use a nearby park for recess periods in the interim.
Wilson said the planning process went well and she was especially pleased that "everyone has been able to be involved in the planning."
The public was invited to take part throughout, Wilson said, and the building committee -- comprised of approximately 30 people -- comes from "all walks of life," including parents, teachers and other community members.
"I am pleased with the way it all came out," Wilson said.
