As I walked around the building taking exterior photos, I was happy to see that most of the exterior is completed. The workman were putting bricks on the outside of the new fitness center, they were going over the yellow insulation that was easily visible from the road. Next, I walked around to the new front entrance area. The steel girders are in place for the overhang and the wooded beams are in place. Now the canopy will receive its roof making it a dry and cozy place for people to enter the building. Right above the canopy are the eastern windows for the new library. The exterior walls for the main office and the Kindergarten classes are complete. As you view the pictures, you will see stone work below each of the windows and the rest of the wall is brick. This exterior finish was chosen so that it would be similar to the current Middle/High School, but still have its own distinct exterior design. As I continued walking around the building, I was drawn to the immense amount of light that enters the building through the windows. Each of the stairwells is filled with windows that let in the outside light. As I finished my exterior walk around the building, I noticed the progress that was being made on the cafeteria. This area is now getting ready to have it concrete floor poured and then the exterior will be bricked and have the windows installed.

Upon completing my walk around the exterior of the building, I went inside to view the progress that is being made to the various classrooms and other areas. The steel interior walls are all up allowing me to see the shape of each of the rooms. Drywall is being installed in many of the rooms, thus truly giving me a true idea of the size of each room. I am a very visual person and being able to see the true shape of each area helps me get a true picture of what the building will look like once it is finished. The classrooms look much larger now that the drywall is going up. The size of our Kindergarten and first grade classrooms is about 1,100 square feet. These rooms are larger than the classrooms for grades 2-5, but that is because each of these classrooms has a bathroom and cubbies for the children to hang up their coats inside the classroom. In grades 2-5, the student lockers are in the neighborhood areas and the restrooms are located at the beginning of the hallways. We designed the restrooms to have the hand washing area outside so that it would be easier to keep an eye on the students as they wash up to go to lunch.

Each classroom wing has a neighborhood area. Some people might call this area the hallway; however, these hallways were specifically designed to serve as individual and group meeting areas where students could work individually or in small and large groups. It is an extension of the classroom. These neighborhoods will have whiteboards (shaped as circles) and mobile electronic presentation devices. We are also decorating them with furniture that is designed to be fun, comfortable and useful. I think you will be impressed when you walk through these areas and see how bright, welcoming and useful these areas are for both students and staff. One aspect that I like the most is that at the end of the neighborhoods are the glass stairwells that give you a great view of the outside and let in lots of natural light.

The largest rooms in the building are the library and art room. These rooms are located on the second floor and are surrounded by windows. Though I am not an artist, truth be told I cannot draw a stick man with a ruler, but I appreciate art and the art room’s location should be very conducive to the creative spirt. Just walking through the area makes you feel happy and joyful. The library is also extremely impressive. It is filled with light and has a separate reading room for groups of students to work on projects without disturbing the other students, who are quietly reading, doing research or finding a good book to read. One section of the library has built in steps that will allow the students to gather together to hear a story or a special speaker.

I have always heard that a picture is worth a thousand words, so I hope that my words give you a small sense of what the new elementary school will be like, but that you take a moment to check out the construction photos on the front page of our website. I think you will get just excited as I am about how well the building is progressing.

One final comment, people always ask me if the new building is on track to be finished for the next school year. I am proud to say that the building is both on time and below budget. As always thank you for your support and please feel free to ask me any questions you have regarding the elementary school or any school related issue. I can be reached at (262) 245-1575 or wanderson@williamsbayschools.org.