Ribbon cutting for new Almira school Thursday
The front entrance of the new Almira school under construction in July. A ribbon cutting is scheduled for Thursday.
COURTESY PHOTO/ALMIRA SCHOOL DISTRICT
Construction workers install the floor in the new Almira school gym. The new building replaces one destroyed by fire in October 2021.
The north facade of the new Almira school.
A ribbon cutting is scheduled for Thursday for the new Almira school. The new building replaces one destroyed by fire in October 2021, pictured.
ALMIRA — The new Almira Elementary School and Almira-Coulee/Hartline Middle School will be the center of attention at a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house scheduled for 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday.
The building is located at 310 S. Third St. People can tour the new building after the ribbon is cut, said building Principal Kelsey Hoppe.
“You’ll be able to walk around and check things out,” she said.
She’s looking forward to getting into the new building.
“It’s incredible to finally have all the kids back in one space, under one roof,” Hoppe said.
The school serves about 135 children from preschool through eighth grade, she said.
Construction on the new building began in summer 2022 on the site of the old Almira school, which was destroyed by fire in October 2021.
The new building will have about 10,000 square feet of additional space, and has a bigger lunchroom and gym than the old school, the Columbia Basin Herald reported in March 2022. The new school also has a stage and room for community events. Some sections of the new building will be two stories.
“We have more options of different learning spaces for kids, rather than just the classroom,” Hoppe said.
The destruction of the old building left classes in temporary spaces in Almira and around neighboring communities until district officials secured enough portables for classrooms, a kitchen and a lunchroom on the site of the school football field. District officials did have the opportunity to upgrade classroom technology, and Hoppe said those upgrades will be coming with the students back to the new school.
The previous Almira school dated to the 1950s and replaced a building that also was destroyed by fire. Its construction atop an existing crawl space contributed to the spread of the fire, said project manager Gene Sementi in an earlier interview. The open space allowed the fire to spread beneath the building, Sementi said, which resulted in a total loss of the building and its contents.
School had been canceled the day of the fire due to an electrical outage, the Columbia Basin Herald reported at the time.
Hoppe said she’s ready to begin the year.
“It’s very exciting,” she said. “I cannot wait for the first day of school.”
Cheryl Schweizer may be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.
