Hundreds of students, staff, families and community members gathered in January to celebrate the opening of the newly remodeled Centennial, McLane and Roosevelt elementary schools.
Dedication events at each school featured highlights including a ceremonial ribbon cutting, self-guided tours of new learning spaces, and speeches celebrating each school’s past, present and future.
There were also some surprises for guests, including the unveiling of contents inside a 1989 time capsule found during construction at Roosevelt Elementary. At McLane Elementary, there were gasps and even some tears as Principal Anthony Brock announced that an unknown person had recently returned the bronze school bell that went missing from the school’s main entry last March.
Olympia School District Superintendent Patrick Murphy, school board members, district staff, architects and their teams joined students, staff and community members at the events. Photo albums from each dedication are posted on the Olympia School District Facebook page:
The three elementary school modernizations are among school improvement projects approved by voters as part of the 2016 school bond.