MOVE-IN DAY ARRIVES

Students tour new East Coventry Elementary School

As they waited for the ribbon to be snipped in front of the brandnew East Coventry Elementary School on Friday, students broke out in a spontaneous chant of “Cut it! Cut it! Cut it!”

When the scissors finally sliced through the bright red ribbon, the cheers were heartfelt and the excitement palpable from both children and adults who gathered for the official opening of Owen J. Roberts School District’s newest elementary building.

The ceremony was attended by about 200 students, as well as teachers, staff, school board members and administrators. Also in attendance were Congressman Ryan Costello, R-6th Dist., State Senator John Rafferty R-44th Dist., and State Rep. Tim Hennessey, R-26th Dist.

The ribbon was cut by school board President Melissa Booth, with the help of students Nola Herbic, Grace Pryzborowski, Terner Whitten and Paige Faith, all of whom had wielded shovels during a groundbreaking ceremony in February 2017. Each of the four students held onto the oversized scissors while the ribbon was cut.

Booth addressed the crowd and spoke of the long road to bringing the building to fruition.

“Today’s event has been long awaited and highly anticipated,” Booth said. “This is the day we step with history. We have created tangible evidence of our community’s energetic commitment to future generations, our nation’s source of perpetual hope.”

After the ribbon was cut, students filed excitedly into the school to get a look at their new classrooms, which were

SUBMITTED PHOTO Owen J. Roberts School District officials and students, joined by elected officials, cut the ribbon to officially open the new East Coventry Elementary School on Friday.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Students walk into the new East Coventry Elementary School for the first time to drop off supplies on Friday. The first day of classes in the new building is on Tuesday.