Kolter Elementary School Principal Julianne Dickinson began to feel the weight of Monday morning before the sun went down the day before.
For Dickinson, Monday was different for a few reasons — the start of in-person instruction, the return of students to classrooms after eight months, and the required use of masks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
But the most special reason was that it was her students’ first day in their newly constructed school.
Continue readingWhen walking into Jennifer Heemer’s fifth grade classroom at Kolter Elementary School, it’s hard not to get excited about learning.
The walls are adorned with colorful decorations, including a poster reminding her students to “think outside the box” and class photos from her 21 years of teaching. Natural light from a wall of large windows fills the room and illuminates the two rows of perfectly-arranged desks.
There’s only one thing missing. Students.
Continue readingA new school year typically brings a mix of emotions for Kolter Elementary School Principal Julie Dickinson. Feelings of excitement mingled with the hope that everything will run smoothly.
As Dickinson readies for the start of the 2020-2021 school year, she is once again experiencing those same feelings, but this time they’re tinged with the promise of new beginnings.
“There was a huge loss to get where we are today,” Dickinson said. “But I can’t think of a more deserving community.”
Continue readingThe new Kolter Elementary School will soon be ready for students, teachers, and staff to move in and the Cougars can hardly wait to be back home.
The $23 million project is tracking at 72 percent completion and slated to be occupied by this summer. Structural steel, roofing, and fireproofing will wrap up this quarter. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing installation is 81 percent complete.
“We’re only five months away from being able to move into our new school home and we’re thrilled,” Kolter Principal Julie Dickinson said.
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