STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WTAJ) – Monday, was the first day for schools across the State College Area School District, which meant a brand new school opening its doors in State College.
Parents, staff, and students say two local elementary schools combining into the new Spring Creek Elementary school was a long time coming.
Fifth graders Tesfom Abraha and Cameron LaFrazza-Schwartz, say their new Spring Creek Elementary School offers a lot more than what they’ve had in the past.
“It’s been really cool because I get to see all this new stuff,” Abraha, said.
“It’s bigger and it has all the grades combined and also the cafeteria and gym are separate and there’s a STEM room,” LaFrazza-Schwartz, said.
The Principal of the new elementary school in Houserville says, the old Houserville Elementary, built-in 1959 and Lemont Elementary, built-in 1939, were outdated. The school district decided to build one school to lower construction costs and to eliminate travel for staff from the two schools.
“We were sister schools, so even though we were sister schools, we wanted to bring everybody under one roof, to be one whole community together,” Todd Dishong, Principal for Spring Creek Elementary School, said.
The sixteen million dollar project started in May of 2018.
Around one hundred and fifty Kindergarten through second graders from Lemont Elementary and one hundred and fifty-third through fifth-graders from Houserville are now under one roof.
“This school is much better than Houserville in every way to help you learn,” Abraha, said.
Parents will be able to hear about the new Spring Creek Elementary building at the school, at a Back to School night on September 4th at 6 p.m.