ST. BERNARD — It's a special first day of school for some Tri-State students. That's because next year, their schools won't exist. All of St. Bernard’s Elmwood Place City Schools will be under one roof in one school.
The school district is combining both elementary schools and the high school into one Pre-K through 12th grade building.
“It’s going to be both exciting and kind of a relief to have our kids in there under one roof and be a tightened roof,” said St. Bernard - Elmwood Place High School Principal Bret Bohannon.
He noted construction took longer than expected, but he's looking forward to finally starting classes in the new building.
Bohannon said the current high school and St. Bernard Elementary School will be demolished and turned into a parking lot for the new school. He added he isn’t sure what will happen with Elmwood Place Elementary.
In a Facebook post, the school district said it plans to demolish or re-purpose the buildings next year.
Bohannon said the new building will strengthen their curriculum.
“The students and staff will be able to collaborate. We’ll be able to send some of our seniors over to help tutor the younger kids. Teachers will be able to collaborate all the way from Pre-K to 12th grade to make sure the kids are getting the things they need in the learning continuum,” Bohannon said.
He added the new school will also provide more opportunities for the students.
“So, we have brand new STEM labs that are in the new building that have state-of-the-art things like 3D printing, high-end computers where we’re hoping to get an Esports league up and running for our kids. We started a robotics club this summer actually as a summer enrichment program. We’re looking to expand that into the new building to offer plenty of learning opportunities for our students,” he said.
Bohannon said the new school will be open in January 2024. Students will remain in the current buildings through the first semester.
The district is hosting a special event to allow people to walk the halls one last time before the school closes operations.
If you went to school in these buildings, you can stop by on August 24 between 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. or on August 26 between 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. to say one final goodbye.
