For educators, the first day of school Wednesday at Ray Crowe Elementary School was the culmination of years of planning and preparation.
For students and their families, it was the start of a new school year in a new building, with new classrooms and teachers. It was a time of excitement and nerves, and of hope.
Students at Clark-Pleasant Community Schools and Edinburgh Community Schools were the first in the county to head back to school for the fall semester this week. Students in other local districts will return next week.
Clark-Pleasant schools broke ground on the 110,000-square-foot, $26.8 million school in the summer of 2019. The new school, built to accommodate as many as 800 students, includes 45 classrooms.
Resembling some design elements of Center Grove’s award-winning Walnut Grove Elementary School, classrooms have sliding glass doors and movable walls, which can create larger, collaborative learning spaces. A solar field outside will help power the school, and learning risers join the two floors and serve as a space where multiple grade levels can gather for presentations and speeches.
For the Carter family, the first day of school marked the start of a new journey, said Anthony Carter, whose daughter transferred to Clark-Pleasant schools from Franklin schools.
“We’re excited for a new journey, starting the second grade,” Carter said. “(The school) is beautiful, the environment is great.”
His daughter, Ariel Carter, arrived at school with mixed emotions, she said.
“I’m a little scared, but I’m also happy because I get to make new friends and meet my teachers,” Ariel Carter said.
Most parents got a first look at the school Tuesday, during a back-to-school open house. With Brittany Severance’s daughter starting elementary school, the day was filled with nerves, she said.
“I’m excited. It was really nice and neat in there,” Severance said. “I am nervous for my daughter. She’s in kindergarten.”
As students enter the building, they are greeted by a library in the lobby, with movable seats and rolling bookcases. Students aren’t limited to picking up a book suited for their reading level. Any student can read any book in the library, said Cassie Capossere, the school’s librarian.
“I want it to be a welcoming space where everyone feels safe and loved,” Capossere said. “There’s lots of fun stuff to do in here. It’s important for all the kids to learn to love to read even if they don’t now. That’s one of my main goals.”
For the more than 560 students at Ray Crowe, the goal was to create a sense of belonging, said Cirsten Lewis, the school’s principal.
“There’s been a lot of planning time and build up to not just planning operations, but planning what we want the climate and culture to be at Ray Crowe with parents and students,” Lewis said. “We want happy kids, teachers and staff in the classroom and that’s all I can hope for.”
