VERMILLION, S.D. (KELO) — It has been three years in the making, but students in Vermillion can finally enjoy their new elementary school.
The new Vermillion Elementary School has been up and running since the first day of school on August 21.
“I’ve been really liking it. I really like my teacher,” second-grader Elysa Smith said.
“It’s a pretty good school. Double the size, which is actually crazy,” fifth-grader Aarush KC said.
Some of the key features include two gyms: one is used as a cafeteria and the other is used for gym class. There is also a brand-new playground, and each grade is separated into pods.
“Our common spaces offer enhanced areas for kids to be able to work with teachers and to be able to get an opportunity to have multiple classes working together at the same time on science activities or music activities and such,” Vermillion school district superintendent Damon Alvey said.
The building replaces the old Austin and Jolly Schools.
“67-year-old buildings have aging problems. The bones were good, but we had lots of creaks with the electrical, and of course, the plumbing continued to be an issue for our district. In an effort to improve those, we studied the idea of creating a new building, and that’s what the school board settled on,” Alvey said.
The elementary school isn’t quite complete. That’s because 1st through 12th graders will take part in a design contest, where some outdoor spaces could be anything from a vegetable garden to a flower bed.
“The kids are going to have some ownership in that, and we’re going to see what they like versus what the adults like. I think that’ll be even nicer even now next year as those projects get picked up and we get grants for those,” fifth-grade teacher Melanie Mahowald said.
Staff are ready for the new opportunities the school can offer.
“Vermillion is really proud of our education procedures here in town, and just the fact that we’ve got this new building is just a kind of a cherry on top,” Alvey said.
The school district saved the signage from the old Austin and Jolly schools and hung them up outside the new cafeteria.
