Students at Peachland Elementary School now have eight new classroom buildings to learn, study and play.
The school unveiled the second phase of its renovation project to the public Wednesday evening with a ribbon cutting ceremony and campus tour.
Through the renovation project, the school replaced aging portable academic classrooms with permanent modular buildings and completed other aesthetic improvements.
“It makes a huge difference,” said Ronna Wolcott, assistant superintendent for business services in the Newhall School District. “This is the second oldest school in the district. It was in use in 1960.”
The new “Gen7” American Modular Systems classrooms include solar tubes for natural daylight, higher ceilings, as well as improved insulation for energy efficiency, sound proofing and climate control, according to Wolcott.
Altogether, the eight new buildings will foster a better environment for student learning for the upper grades, or grades 4 through 6, of Peachland Elementary School.
“We started out the school year with the students in the new building,” Wolcott said. “The teachers are very excited about the new space.”
Other improvements to the campus include additional fencing, concrete work, hydro-seeding and landscaping, the sealing and stripping of hardscape areas, the installation of new drinking fountains and updates to the school’s playground.
“We also revamped the entire play yard area to make it ADA compliant,” Wolcott said.
The first phase of the project included renovations to the special education, preschool and transitional kindergarten/kindergarten buildings, which all have been occupied since January 2016.
With the four new kindergarten buildings, there is more room for student learning stations, student activities and interactive learning.
“We were able to… create a new kindergarten building that is specifically designed to fit that age group,” Wolcott said.
Wolcott said the improvements and construction to the campus could not have been possible without the passage of Measure E.
“I want to give a huge thank you to the community for supporting the bond that made this possible because we could not have done this without that community support,” she said.
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