LANCASTER, Pa. — Wickersham Elementary School faculty, staff and students are not only walking into a new school year but also a new building.
After an $18 million renovation and expansion project and relocating to a different part of town for two years, students are now back in the newly improved brick building.
“For us being back on this side of town, that screams so much,” said Abby Rivera, principal of Wickersham Elementary. “Just being disconnected for two years was hard on us, because we like those connections.”
Most of the renovations took place in the back half of the school, where an additional building was constructed. This made room for new features like a second grade wing to help with the transition to third grade, instead of the students being grouped with Pre-K. More features of the building include big windows to let in more natural light, as well as classrooms that aren’t traditional and encourage students to move around freely and teach bigger groups.
“We have the most amazing staff here at Wickersham Elementary,” Miriam Melendez-Swinton, a teacher, said.
The school year is also starting strong for Wickersham Elementary School. According to Rivera, this is the first time in five years that the school is fully staffed with teachers. A total of 403 students attend the school, and there are 67 faculty and staff members.
“We really welcome community partners, and we’re looking forward to expanding that this year—the community is growing so we want to grow that for our families here at Wickersham,” said Rivera.
Rivera says she hopes the new and improved building will enhance students' ability to learn, participate and love school more.
The school year started with several buses and parents dropping off students for the first day of school. For a look at the school calendar and events, click here.