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More than a thousand students now have a brand-new elementary school in Jackson County’s Western School District.
Hundreds of cars lined up around Western Elementary School Tuesday morning for the first day of classes.
Alex Culy, a parent, arrived about 45 minutes before the first bell to drop off his three children at the new building.
“It’s a lot, but it’s a beautiful building and I’m excited for the kids to have a new facility,” Culy said. “The drop-off line is a little stressful, but we’ll make it work.”
The 135,000-square-foot school is the district’s first new building in more than 60 years.
Voters approved a $46 million bond proposal in 2022 to fund the project. Construction was completed in late fall.
District leaders say the new school will offer climate-controlled classrooms, improved lighting in hallways and learning spaces, and less traffic congestion during morning drop-off and afternoon pickup.
Superintendent Michael Smajda, who welcomed students and families to the new building, said last week he expects the school will lead to more collaboration among art, music, health and wellness, and STEM teachers.
Previously, staff often had to travel between multiple buildings throughout the day.
That includes the district’s school nurse, school resource officer, and intervention specialists who support students struggling with language arts, math, and other subjects.
Lynne Sellers, a parent, lined up her car early on the first day of the new school to drop off her second grader.
Sellers wonders how bringing students from three other schools to one building is going to turn out.
"I think it's going to be a good experiment, and it's nice to have the middle school and elementary school in the same area, so they can share resources," she said.
Sellers then explained why she sees the new school as "a good experiment."
"Mashing three schools together is kind of exactly an experiment," she said, "I mean we're going to do it regardless, but we're going to see how it goes."
School staff say the new building is a major improvement after years of moving between schools.
Jeff Kinney, a school social worker, said he is looking forward to working in one location instead of three.
“It’s going to be nice to only have to go to one school,” Kinney said. “However, it’s really big, so it will take some time to get used to knowing where to go and how often.”
The district closed Warner, Bean, and Parma elementary schools last week to make way for the new consolidated building.
