'Like Christmas morning' - Latrobe Elementary debuts $24.8M building

Anticipation for the opening of the new Latrobe Elementary School ended Tuesday, as students reported around 9 a.m. to begin their first day of classes.

“I love to see their faces,” said Amanda Henry, a classroom assistant from Connellsville who helped greet the arriving pupils. “They’re super-excited. It’s like Christmas morning.”

The $24.8 million, two-story building houses about 700 students in grades K-6. It was to have opened in August, but construction delays pushed the date back.

The extra wait was worth it for many parents who escorted their kids to the school on Ligonier Street.

“We’re very excited to have the new facility,” said Jean McMahon, who offers private music lessons at her Latrobe business. She waited in one of two parent drop-off lanes for the signal for her fifth-grade son, Izzy, to join a wave of other students entering the school.

The McMahons live next to the aging, century-old school the new elementary building has replaced, but Jean doesn’t mind the five-block drive, considering the features the new site offers.

The new school includes a science, technology, education and mathematics, or STEM, classroom, a Center for Student Creativity that could house art shows, improved room acoustics and lighting, updated climate controls and flexible learning spaces.

“We’re excited about the outdoor classrooms,” Jean McMahon said, adding, “I was really pleased to see that there’s a stage in the cafeteria, so they’ll still have a place for their concerts.”

Gina Lester lives on Cedar Street, directly across from the new school, and is glad she will no longer have to drive her fifth-grade daughter, Sydney, to classes.

“It’s real convenient,” Lester said. “We were kind of worried about the (on-street) parking for us here, but it will be fine.”

Students toured the school and moved their belongings into new lockers during the last week of November. Parents will get their chance to explore the building during an open house 2 to 4 p.m. Dec. 15.

Lester said her daughter and her classmates “like that their lockers are in their classroom.”

Also earning favorable mentions was the new building’s spacious gymnasium, which can seat 500.

Just as important, Izzy McMahon pointed out, “The gym is air conditioned.”

Katrina Dixon, dropped off her third-grade son, Brady, was anxious to visit the school’s science lab. “I can’t wait until the open house,” she said.

A few finishing touches remain, including installation of pieces from the school district’s elementary art collection in a hallway leading from the main entrance to the art room.

“It’s about integrating the arts into everyday life,” said Jessica Golden, director of development and the Center for Student Creativity.

Superintendent Judy Swigart praised the efforts of teachers, who moved from the old elementary building in the days prior to the students arriving.

“You don’t make a move of this magnitude in the middle of the school year without a ton of work from everyone,” Swigart said. “They have really done a wonderful job, and they were ready for today, which is the most important part.”

Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff at 724-836-6622, jhimler@tribweb.com or via Twitter @jhimler_news.