WIDEFIELD — Widefield School District 3 is finalizing the first expansion in 20 years for Webster Elementary School in the southeast corner of the district.
On Thursday, District 3 held an open house for parents and the community to see the changes to the school, which include 10 new classrooms, a new gym, HVAC improvements, and new windows and doors for the entire building. The west parking lot has also been expanded to make room for more students and staff.
The district said the improvements will improve energy efficiency for the elementary school, which was built in 1969.
The expansion and remodel come as the district said enrollment in the area has climbed with growing neighborhoods nearby. The district said it changed its boundary for the 2021-2022 school year to prevent overcrowding. Some families in the rapidly developing Lorson Ranch area were moved from Grand Mountain School (PK-8) to Webster Elementary School.
"We changed some boundaries and made it to be where we can have students come here to Webster with the addition," said Dave Gish, Chief Operating Officer of District 3.
District 3 said when the Grand Mountain School opened in 2019, it was growing fast and had room to grow for another five years. However, unanticipated growth in the Lorson Ranch neighborhood made an immediate need to change school boundaries.
Gish said the school has also invested in more security measures, including more security cameras inside and outside of the building and push-button locks for all classroom doors.
Marisa Honeycutt is a fourth-grade teacher at Webster Elementary School. She and her students moved into one of the new classrooms two weeks ago.
"My classroom before had no windows and it was much smaller, the ceilings were lower, so it was just crowded. I have 30 students, and we were almost on top of each other," she said.
Gish said the district had leftover money from taxpayers in 2017 when District 3 built Grand Mountain School. The remaining money was used for the Webster Elementary expansion and remodel.
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