All students are planned to move into the new school in September.
“The elementary side is wrapping up. We have furniture inside, carpets finished,” Knapke said while providing a tour of the building to district officials and the media.
Voters approved a $36 million bond issue for construction of the school in May of 2017. The 6.98-mill bond costs a taxpayer who owns a $100,000 property in the district about $20 a month. The state picked up about $18 million of the costs through the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission.
The new school will be located at the northeastern corner of Rebert Pike and Enon-Xenia Road and is being built on the current site of Indian Valley Intermediate School. Indian Valley has remained open during construction but will close once the new school opens, as well as Enon Primary and Greenon High School.
In the middle of the elementary side, there is a courtyard that includes a jungle gym, which is being finished up, as well as two mini amphitheaters.
“There will also be another jungle gym and basketball courts across from the back entrance of the elementary side as well, which is still being worked on,” Knape said.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
In several of the elementary school classrooms, there are divider walls to allow for two classrooms in one or even co-teaching, there is flex seating, 75-inch televisions behind dry erase boards, and cubbies for bookbags and coats. Students in fourth through sixth grades will have lockers for their belongings.
Throughout the hallways, there are display cases and benches for students to sit. There are also several small group classrooms, staff work rooms, science labs and some classrooms have movable storage. Special education rooms will have restrooms, showers and changing stations.
There is an elevator in both the elementary and high school side, which leads to the second floor that has more space to be able to add more classrooms, if needed.
Parts of the building have solar panels, which were paid for by investment companies, not the district, and will power most of the building but won’t be above the elementary or high school side, Knape said.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
The new school will be for all students in the district but will be divided so that students of different age groups won’t intermingle. One pod will house the center of the building, the second is for students in grades kindergarten through sixth and the third pod will house the remaining students.
Both student sections will have their own media centers, libraries and special education classrooms. Only the pod for high school students will have classrooms designed for agricultural and business education.
The center of the building is where students, teachers and parents will enter and will also be where the dining area is located. It will also have a gym, which can seat 1,000 people, and music spaces.
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