Sterchi Elementary School unveiled its $8 million facelift Oct. 15 after more than a year of renovations for the northeast Knox County neighborhood.
"This transformation has been truly incredible," said fifth grader Vivian Rodewald. "I've been here since kindergarten, and I am just so grateful for this new chapter at Sterchi Elementary."
The nearly 70-year-old building was in dire need of improvements, Knox County Schools leaders said. New administrative offices, special education classroom, library and media center, art classroom and music classroom were part of the over 15,000-square-foot addition. The gym floor and building's original windows were replaced. Sterchi's front entrance also was reconfigured to improve parking and access.
Principal
Jessica Doran was looking forward to welcoming more of the community into the new-and-improved space.
"The most exciting thing is it provides us with the space to host more events for our community. We always have people reaching out wanting to use our gym and our facilities, and now we have the opportunity to be able to do that," Doran said. "That was something that I needed to say no, especially to our local basketball teams."
She was especially thrilled for her art and music teachers, who finally have a dedicated space within the building to educate all 400 of Sterchi's students.
"They are the real troopers. Can you imagine teaching art and music in a portable (classroom)? They are just in love with their spaces," Doran added. "You can tell they really took ownership in that space and really love what they can offer to our kids now that they have that flexibility and area."
Caitlyn Meisner is the K-12 education reporter for Knox News. Email tips and story ideas to caitlyn.meisner@knoxnews.com.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Sterchi Elementary unveils $8 million facelift with more room for the community
