Third-grader Elijah Santiago-Rodriguez walked up to the new Edison Elementary School on crutches April 8.
“You’re going to be the first kiddo in our elevator,” Principal Diane Sutton said as she greeted Elijah, 9.
Had he broken three toes on his right foot before spring break, he would have had no elevator to accommodate his injury in the old Edison. Students spent their last day in the old building before spring break began in late March. They returned from break on April 8 to the new building that has a lift and other up-to-date features.
Edison Elementary School third-grade student Elijah Santiago-Rodriguez enters the new building for the first time, after Easter break and on crutches, in Erie, Pa.
“It looks good,” first-grader Leilani Wallace, 6, said as she stood with her mom near the front door at 1916 E. Seventh St. The new school was built just south of the old at 1921 East Lake Road.
Leilani said she was looking forward to her new classroom. Inside the school, students were being directed to the cafeteria or gym, where teachers were waiting to take everyone to their rooms. Teachers had spent the day before preparing for the students’ first day.
Edison Elementary School principal Diane Sutton greets students entering the new building.
“I’m so excited for these kids, the staff,” Leilani’s mother, Lillian Wallace said, adding that the new building would push Edison forward.
The old Edison was constructed in the 1930s and last renovated in the 1950s.
The district broke ground on the new Edison in May 2024, with the $35.5 million school originally expected to be ready in August 2025. Construction complications required the opening to be pushed back to this spring.
Demolition of the old building is tentatively set to start later this month. That space will eventually be used for parking, play and green spaces, and a parent loop for transporting students.
As Sutton welcomed students inside their new building, she explained dismissal procedures to parents, pointing out which doors their children would come out at the end of the school day and explaining the parking situation.
Edison Elementary School students enter the new building for the first time, after Easter break.
Sutton said everyone was so excited to have finally reached the first day in the new Edison.
“We made it,” she said as a group of children entered. “Can you believe it?”
Edison has about 400 students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. The new school will have a building capacity of 600, providing space for the growing number of students in the district requiring specialized instruction, such as autistic or life skills support, officials have said.
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Edison, which is Erie’s first new public school since East opened in 1999, is part of the first phase of the district’s large-scale $80 million facilities initiative to benefit all 16 school buildings, including renovations at Erie High School. Coming up next as part of the second phase will be additions and renovations to Grover Cleveland Elementary School.
Dana Massing can be reached at dmassing@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: New Erie Edison Elementary School opens