FORT KNOX, Ky. — After 66 years and $61 million, the new Van Voorhis Elementary School is officially open. On Tuesday, students, staff, and special guests celebrated with a ribbon cutting, refreshments, and a time capsule.
Students took items they found from their old school and took turns placing them into the capsule, including a flag, pictures, and a copy of the school song. In 25 years, students will be able to open the capsule to get a blast from the past.
Faculty and staff touted the new school as a 21st century learning environment on post.
"This very building in which we sit today began as an idea that was developed over four years ago," Principal Angelique Johnson said. The school starts at Pre-K and features state-of-the-art ideas.
Grade levels are split between "color-coded neighborhoods." Inside each neighborhood is a giant room that has multiple teachers and dozens of students. But, unlike the traditional school classrooms, these teachers have a learning studio with moveable walls, which the school said allows for a more flexible learning environment.
The center of the neighborhood is called the hub which serves as a learning space for every student in the grade
Renee Wingate is a Pre-K teacher at Van Voorhis, but she's been teaching for almost four decades. She praised the new school for its openness and creativity.
"It's very open, it gives children the opportunity to socialize, and the teacher has the opportunity to collaborate together," she said.
Other notable rooms on campus include a tv studio, complete with a green room where students will do the morning announcements. The air-conditioned gym is also an upgrade from their previous gym which had no AC.
"This building is an expression of our commitment to our students and our community, and it shows that we value you, and you deserve the very best," Beth Schiavino-Narvaez, the director of the Department of Defense Education Activity, said.
When asked about the benefits to this new building, Schiavino-Narvaez said the new building will teach students about collaboration, how to communicate well, be critical thinkers, and how to be creative problem solvers.
"These buildings really help to facilitate all those essential skills," she said.
The students were welcomed back on Aug. 5, but Pre-K students start tomorrow.
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