Elizabeth Avenue School Referendum Work Celebrated With Ribbon Cutting

In what may be the last such ceremony, the end of renovation and new construction work at Elizabeth Avenue School was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony May 8.

School principal John Haney and school’s Superintendent John Ravally led the celebration, thanking Board of Education members old and current, staff, teachers, parents and students for the nearly two-year project.

Included in the work was a new 15-classroom wing, a new gym, updated media center, new cafeteria, kitchen renovation, new playground, new front lobby with increased security, new main office, and new nurse’s office.

The work was part of the $84 million “One Less Move” referendum passed in 2014. The referendum funded construction and renovation projects district-wide, as well as the construction of the Claremont Road School, and the realignment of the district creating two middle schools.

Ravally said that he believed the Elizabeth Avenue work was the most difficult of all the referendum projects because of the scope of the work and the fact that no instruction days were lost.

“We were able to successfully do this thanks to the staff,” Ravally said. “We were able to do this over a two-year period and not lose any days of instruction.”

And. Ravally said, “Academically, we improved during the time of construction.”

“This is the fruit of the work that you did, this is just an example of it,” Ravally said to the former and current school board members in attendance.

Ravally thanked school parents for their patience during the construction.

“Your cooperation was unbelievable,” he said. “They had no kitchen. We were carting things in from the high school. Over a year and a half, two years, the parents were so patient. We couldn’t have done it without you.”

Haney thanked the school community.

“All kinds of people really helped out with this project,” he said. “I couldn’t be more proud of the students and teachers and staff we have here.”

“We’re blessed to have a first-class facility here,” he said. “We want to teach kids about excellence and now you’ve given them an excellent structure in which to learn and grow and prosper.”

 

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