Winter Haven elementary school kicks off first day with new campus

LAKELAND, Fla. — Students at Elbert Elementary School in Winter Haven arrived at a brand-new campus on Monday.

The $50 million campus, located next to the original building that was more than 60 years old, was made possible by impact fees and the district’s half-cent sales tax.

Staff members cheerfully greeted students as they hopped out of cars for the first day of school. Some kids walked into Elbert Elementary’s building with ease, while others needed a little encouragement. Luckily, third-grade teacher Alexis Dewberry was able to walk her two daughters into the building.

After working at the school for the past four years, she said she was glad to finally show them the changes.

“They’re excited as well. As a mom, it means a lot to me being able to be in the same school with my child,” she said.

Principal Julie Thomas said about 700 students are expected this year — double the school’s original enrollment. The district decided to modernize Elbert Elementary after the old campus started to show signs of age.

“The original building was built in 1962, and it was experiencing some issues and it was not the best for the students and so the decision was made and the district decided we were going to redo,” Thomas said.

The new facility features fresh classrooms, science labs, two playgrounds and more. Thomas said the project took about two years to complete. During that time, students and staff temporarily relocated to a campus in Haines City.

Now, students get to attend school in an upgraded facility closer to home — which Thomas said she’s most excited about.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” she said. “You don’t get to open a brand-new school very often. I’ve been with the county for 35 years. This is my first time being at a brand-new, what I can call, my school.”

Like Thomas, Dewberry is looking forward to welcoming students to a place they can call their own too.

“It just feels good to be back home,” Dewberry said.