A grand opening is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24 at Charlotte Valley Central School in Davenport following a slew of major upgrades to various facilities.
The grand opening and ribbon cutting will celebrate the school’s community-supported capital project, which saw renovations of its library space, art room, kitchen and cafeteria, music and choral space and instrumental room and track. After the ribbon cutting at 5:30 p.m., a school open house is set to follow at 6 p.m., according to a news release.
Superintendent of Schools Eric Whipple said Monday, Sept. 15 that the project cost more than $13 million, supported largely by state building aid with a very small tax impact. The community voted and approved the project in December 2022, and construction began in spring 2023. He said the project is now substantially completed, with a few small tasks left.
“We’ve seen an extremely positive impact for our students,” Whipple said.
Author and illustrator David Ezra Stein has been secured to attend the ceremony. Additionally, earlier in the day Wednesday, Stein — who wrote and illustrated the book “Interrupting Chicken” — is set to do a presentation for the elementary students.
The kitchen and cafeteria spaces were about 50 years old, Whipple said, and renovations to those spaces was completed in January.
The asphalt track was built more than 50 years ago and was renovated into a synthetic surface track that opened in November 2024. Whipple said it was in “disrepair” and there were “a lot of cracks in the asphalt.”
The updated music spaces, art room and library opened in September.
Prior to the project upgrades, the school’s multipurpose room housed the the library space, Whipple said. Bookcases and tables were distributed within the open space. Following renovations, he said there is now a dedicated library media space, with middle school and high school and elementary-aged sections.
It includes a learning center with a classroom and smartboard to support “integrated lessons” in the library.
Whipple said students have been occupying the space during their free time, like in lunch or study hall periods.
“We are seeing students utilize this space quite often throughout the day,” he said.
While the library had a large collection of books before renovations, Whipple said the school intends to keep growing that collection with its additional space. The librarian has been gathering ideas from students, he added, including authors they are interested in.
Music spaces, Whipple said, were not originally designed for their given use and were held mainly in general classrooms. Under the new upgrades, music facilities are designed as music spaces, which include instrument storage and practice rooms.
The larger goal, Whipple added, is to provide instructional spaces for these areas and increase student participation.
“In our small rural areas, our community takes a lot of pride in our school buildings,” Whipple said.
About two to three weeks into the new school year with the bulk of renovations finished, he added that students are “flocking toward the new areas.” He said the school aims to support student interest in the arts and reading, channeling creative energy and allowing students to take ownership of their learning.
“We are thrilled to open these new spaces that reflect our district’s vision — inspire, explore, achieve, belong,” Whipple said in a news release. “This project demonstrates what can be accomplished when a community invests in its students and their future.”