LEESBURG – A ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, July 29, officially opened the newly redesigned Beverly Shores Elementary School at 1108 Griffin Road in Leesburg.
The media center, cafeteria, and front wing have been renovated, while the other three wings, dating to the 1960s, and the portables were demolished. The front wing will now house pre-kindergarten, first- and second-grade students. The remaining students will be housed in the larger building.
“The buildings are colorful and fun,” Principal Cindy Christidis said. “I’m excited for the kids to come and see it.”
A courtyard between the two buildings includes a stage where the school, which has a fine arts focus, can host outdoor performances by its theater group, choir, steel drum band, and others.
“There will be lots of fun things to do outside,” Christidis said, adding that the campus has a new large basketball court, soccer field, and baseball field, as well as two shaded playgrounds. “There’s plenty of room for students to run and play.”
There’s also an expanded parking area and an improved wrap-around drop-off and pickup area designed to reduce the number of cars on the roads.
Constructed by Ajax and designed by Schenkel Schultz, the renovation was a $35 million project with funding coming primarily from the one-cent sales tax for infrastructure, which is shared with the county and municipalities. That funding was supplemented by a local capital levy (a 1.5 mill property tax) and impact fees on new housing units, as appropriate.
Faculty and staff will get their first official peek on the first day of pre-planning, and families can tour the facility on Meet-the-Teacher day on Thursday, August 6, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.