Ribbon-cutting highlights community-centered renovations at Noel Elementary

NOEL, Mo. — A ribbon cutting for new school facilities helps highlight the district's approach to community safety.

This morning, McDonald County School District administrators celebrated the official completion of renovations to Noel Elementary.

The project began in March of this year, and added a new weight room, secure entryway, gym, and storm shelter to the school.

That storm shelter is designed to be accessible to the school's nearly 400 students in two minutes or less from anywhere in the building and will be available for public use.

Superintendent Dr. Eric Findley says the project was about taking a community approach to safety.

"Oh, it's very important, and not, like I said, not just for our students. We have community members, we have community members that were former teachers that are here today, we have community members that have nothing to do with the school, but we want everyone to be safe, we want this to be a community that people want to come to," said Dr. Eric Findley, McDonald County Schools Superintendent.

"Right now, our third through eighth grade share a gym space for PE, so now they're going, that third through fifth grade, will have their own space for PE. That will change that, and then some of our after-school programs that we'll always have a space for that, too," said Jeff Hughes, Noel Elementary Principal.

The final two new storm shelters for the district is set to be completed shortly after the first of the year.

The project was funded as part of a 21.5 million dollar no-tax-increase bond question approved by voters.