The Lebanon Community School Corporation broke ground for the new Central Elementary School on Wednesday, Nov. 1.
The new Central Elementary School is intended to provide the Lebanon community with “state-of-the-art” educational facilities to provide students with new opportunities for growth and success.
The new elementary school will be located at the intersection of John Bart Road and Fordice Road and will welcome over 600 students into its walls once the construction is completed.
The construction plans include designated areas for six kindergarten classrooms, four classrooms for every grade level from first through fifth grade, three flex classrooms, four resource special education classrooms, a dedicated STEM lab, music room and visual arts classroom.
The new elementary school will also host additional small group instruction, flex spaces and conference spaces for student support.
Dr. Jon Milleman, Lebanon Schools Superintendent, thanked the community for its ongoing support of the new Central Elementary School.
“We are proud to take this next step in fulfilling our promise to the LCSC community that all elementary students, regardless of their address, will be afforded a modern, high quality educational environment,” Milleman said. “The support of our community, through successful passage of a capital referendum, is why we are able to provide this generational positive change for decades to come.”
The project has been undertaken by a partnership between the school board, Gibraltar Design, Meyer Najem and individual donors and supporters in the Boone County community.
The Central Elementary School project remains as a pivotal part of the Lebanon Schools’ projects to enhance the elementary school access for all of the students in the Lebanon area regardless of zip code.
Alongside the new construction of the new Central Elementary School building, Lebanon Schools has cemented plans to construct new playgrounds at every elementary school within the district. The board approved the purchase and acquisition of playground equipment for the four elementaries in October. Milleman stressed that the projects were developed with the aid of the principals at the elementary schools who set a goal to ensure that every student has access to the same resources regardless of their zip code.
The Central Elementary School construction project and the playground projects are expected to be completed by August 2025.
In September 2023, the board also ruled to maintain the Central Elementary School name amidst public comments requesting the board to avoid renaming the school due to the history associated with the “Central” name. The other names debated, Prairie Creek Elementary School and Cedar Grove Elementary School, will be available for the board to consider when revitalizing the previous Central Elementary School building near Prairie Creek, which is proposed to become a preschool.
For more information and updates on the progress of the elementary improvement projects, please visit www.leb.k12.in.us/constructionprojects or stay tuned to Clinton County Daily News and Boone County Daily News.