Demolition has begun on the Westmont Hilltop Middle School.

“I’m watching the workers knock the school down,” said William Poborski.  Third grader  Poborski wasn’t the only one who came to see the show Tuesday.  Cars lined the streets and folks brought their lawn chairs to see the nearly century old building come crashing down.

“It is sad to see the building go down,” teacher Melissa Kalwanaski said.  My classroom is one of the ones that has already gone down.”

Kalwanaski described the moment as bitter sweet.  Others WTAJ spoke to called it heartbreaking, as they watched the building that holds so many memories torn down

Kalwanaski told us that she along with some of her other coworkers and Westmont alumni were watching together as part of a viewing party to mark the end of an era, “At the same time it is exciting to have a new room that will have air conditioning and I’ll be able to operate the heater without fear of leaks and things that come with having an old building.”

A 7th grade teacher, Kalwanaski will move along with her students to the high school, which will now become the Westmont Junior-Senior High.

“I think they’re both excited and a little afraid of being the smaller kids in a building full of bigger kids.  Usually the 8th graders move on to become the freshmen, so I’m not really sure how they’re feeling about not really leaving everyone behind.”

The construction isn’t expected to be completed until the 2017-2018 school year.  It will then house students in kindergarten through 6th grade.