Staff at Carlisle Elementary School in Delaware moved into their new office space this week following the completion of renovation work on the school’s entrance.
The renovated entrance now puts visitors in a vestibule where they must speak to staff and sign in, instead of having to travel across a hallway first, which the district says will increase safety. The old office was renovated into two classrooms and a restroom. The renovations also included the addition of a clinic and a conference room.
Carlisle administrative assistants Jennifer Turner and Jeannette Green said Wednesday they were eager to move into the new space.
“This has been a much anticipated move, and we’re excited,” Turner and Green wrote in an email. “We have a new energy, and the feeling of a new beginning after such an unusual school year.”
Carlisle Principal Paula Vertikoff said Wednesday the new spaces will provide several benefits to the school.
“We are delighted to open the new office, vestibule, and renovated classrooms,” Vertikoff said. “Each of these spaces will increase the safety, security, and learning at Carlisle.”
The renovation work at Carlisle began last summer, as did expansion projects at both Schultz Elementary School and Dempsey Middle School. Dempsey will also receive a new athletic expansion that adds a bathroom and concessions. The funds for all three projects came from the 2019 bond issue.
“It feels really good to start seeing some of our projects reach completion,” said Jason Sherman, director of facilities and transportation for the district. “Some of these improvements have been in the planning stages for a long time, and it’s exciting to finally be able to provide these much needed spaces and facilities.”
He added the athletic addition at Dempsey should be finished by mid-April, and the classroom addition and new orchestra room are still on track to open in July.
Sherman said the district hopes to start using the new wing of classrooms at Schultz after spring break, which will allow them to begin renovating parts of the existing building. The renovations at Schultz are expected to be completed by August.
