Students report to new Westmont Elementary after delays
EVANS, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - After several construction delays at the new Westmont Elementary, students and staff started the week off with a fresh start Monday morning.
The new school is complete and officially open at 4558 Oakley Pirkle Road.
The newly built school wasn’t open for the start of the year, so students reported to the Columbia County Performing Arts Center for most of the first two weeks.
Then last Friday, students met at the district department complex for a field trip - rotating between learning stations.
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It’s been a few weeks of uncertainty for students and parents of the new campus, but parents learned Friday that Monday Aug. 19 is the day to bring their kids to the new school.
But those days of uncertainty for students, teachers, and parents are now a thing of the past.
Parents say their stress is at ease now that their kids are back into a normal routine on their first day at the new Westmont Elementary School.
“They were excited because they got to take their book bags. They didn’t need their book bags for the first two weeks,” said a parent, Jennifer Mills.
After the weather and construction left students and staff at the performing arts center, students and parents of Westmont Elementary are finally getting a sense of normalcy.
They found out just days before the first day they wouldn’t start the school year off at the new school.
“It was a little heightened when they started going to the PAC because I wasn’t sure it was very chaotic,” said Mills.
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But parents say the staff alone made this an exciting day for the kids.
“His teacher kind of like, ‘Hey, Cody, you know, come in, and this is our new classroom’, and kind of made him feel better,” said Mills.
Despite experiencing a lot of change themselves.
“I mean, it was the parking lot was packed yesterday, on a Sunday. So, I know they were in a rush, and I’m just so thankful that they care enough about our kids,” said Mills.
Mills says after seeing the new school, she feels it was worth the wait.
“We got to take pictures outside, and we got there and everything, and I walked into their classroom. So it was, it was an exciting day,” she said.
Parents say they hope things go as smoothly for the rest of the school year as they did Monday.
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“We want to thank our entire community for shown to our families, students and staff at Westmont Elementary School,” the district said in an update letter. “Special thanks to the countless staff who came together to help ensure the Westmont team had every resource to provide students with a memorable learning experience at the Columbia County Performing Arts Center.”
This isn’t the first time construction of a new school has continued until the last minute or even beyond.
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In the Richmond County School System, the new Belair Middle School won’t quite be ready yet, so students will start the year at Langford Middle School.
And last year in Aiken County, uncertainty loomed over Highland Springs Middle School students as construction continued until nearly the last minute.
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