The light at the end of the tunnel on the Dibrell School project is getting brighter, according to school system officials.
Construction on the interior of the expansion is to the point tables have been moved into the new cafeteria, leading to speculation sandwiches and pizza as the student’s staple diet may soon be a thing of the past after Thanksgiving break.
Dibrell principal Robbie Hitchcock says she is delighted with the recent progress by contractor Midstate Construction.
“I am so excited,” said Hitchcock. “Very excited. Just to have the space to be the elementary school we need to be. For the last two years , of course, we’ve been dealing with limited space because of the beginning of the construction, but especially these last few months not having a cafeteria or a gym and those kind of things, it has been difficult.”
Hitchcock lauded her staff for their aplomb in dealing with these issues.
“Our teachers have been wonderful,” Hitchcock said. “They have just hung in there and adapted. I cannot sing their praises loudly enough.”
While there has been much talk about how teachers, school officials and parents feel about the imminent opening of the addition, Hitchcock said the students have a lot to say as well.
“I have talked to them about this, and they’re asking lots of questions,” Hitchcock said. “Because many of them have not been inside the new addition, there’s been very few that have, and that would have been only with a parent or a teacher. I talked to them Friday morning trying to get them excited about it and I didn’t have to try very hard.”
One of the things that interested students was the sheer size of the addition.
“One of them asked ‘Is it really so big?’ And I said “Yes it is, and we’re going to have maps so you won’t get lost. And they said, ‘Oh wow, will we really need a map?’ And I said ‘It might help you get around.’
“So yes, they are really getting excited,” Hitchcock continued. “You know, our children really deserve this, as well as our teachers, and it’s going to be a wonderful school for many years to come.”