A father helps his son find the location of his classroom in Shepherdstown Elementary School's new building on Dec. 9. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Shepherdstown Elementary School students and alumni could be found winding their way, for the first time ever, through the halls of the new Shepherdstown Elementary School building on Dec. 9.

The Shepherdstown Elementary School Community Sneak Peek served as an opportunity for students to become familiarized with the location of their new classrooms and the building’s other amenities. It was also an excellent opportunity for those who had followed the controversy over the building project’s development outside of town limits, to see the improvements the new location would offer future generations of area residents.

“We’re very excited to see this opening up,” said Shepherdstown resident Jessie Ward.

Ward came to the sneak peek with her husband, son and daughter Josie, who is currently a third grader at Shepherdstown Elementary School.

“She is halfway through third grade, so she will be learning in this space for the next two-and-a-half years,” Ward said. “We wanted to come and check it out.”

Community members walk through the new Shepherdstown Elementary School building and take in some of the signs that reflect the progress of the project, on Dec. 9. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

The family made their way through the building’s new gymnasium, admiring the large space and the view its windows featured of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

“I like the location — I think it’s beautiful. Right now, you can see a mountain from here and outside of some of the classrooms you can see rolling hills and the forest,” Ward said. “They will have the same heartfelt teachers that they have always had, in this new space. But now, those teachers who have always done their best will have more resources available to them. We’re looking forward to that.”

She was particularly impressed by the larger size of the building, which is 57,445 square feet in size — 7,266 square feet larger than the school’s current building at 662 South Church Street.

“This is amazing,” she said. “There’s so much they can do with this space.”

That was the goal behind the initial recommendation for the project by Shepherdstown Elementary School’s Local School Improvement Council (LSIC). LSIC Chair Joe Spurgas said he was pleased to see this project come to fruition, as he believed it would significantly improve the educational experience of his own grandchild and the 317 other students currently attending the school.

Families make their way into the new building for the Shepherdstown Elementary School on Dec. 9. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

“My wife, my daughter and my grandson have all attended school in the same elementary school building. A larger, state-of-the-art space like this has been needed for some time,” Spurgas said. “It’s been a long process — we’ve been working to see this through for probably close to 10 years.”

The building along Shepherdstown Pike will not only be more spacious, but it will also be more secure. For Spurgas, that was the aspect of the project that particularly motivated his support of it.

“The old school had become unsafe in today’s climate, unfortunately, because it only has one entrance. That entrance is also not as safe as I would like,” Spurgas said.

Those entering the new building’s main entrance will not be able to pass beyond an enclosed space, without verified identification by school staff. Spurgas said he hopes this, along with other security measures, will help ensure future students will be able to learn in a safe and calm environment.

“It’s a beautiful, brand new facility,” Spurgas said. “It’s going to be safer and have a lot of potential for future growth.”

Community members take a look at Shepherdstown Elementary School's new mascot, the Black Bears, at the sneak peek on Dec. 9. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

A Shepherdstown Elementary School student and her parents check out the room that will soon house the school library, during the sneak peek on Dec. 9. Photo by Tabitha Johnston