The new building, which cost $50 million, was built on the same property as the old school, which was demolished after the mass shooting.
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The new school, funded by a state grant, has numerous safety features.
Following the tragedy in 2012, the students from the old Sandy Hook school were moved to nearby Monroe where they were provided with a temporary school building since the original school was still a crime scene.
Erardi would not say if the building would have a dedicated memorial to the 20 first-graders and six educators killed in the shooting. “The transition to the new school needs to be as seamless as possible for the children.
That you see the undulating facade, and it’s reminiscent of the rolling hills of Newtown, and you see the spires kind of poking out beyond on the second story, and right away you get that this is a building that can only be in Sandy Hook”, said Alana Konefal with Svigals & Partners. There are no plans to erect a permanent victims’ memorial at the school, District Superintendent Joseph V. Erardi Jr. said, yet the school will be guarded, with security measures like bulletproof windows and a main security entrance accessible through a key access at the foot of the school’s driveway.
The only sense of familiarity some of the returning students will have is Shelley the turtle, who’s waiting for school to start in her brand new aquarium. Officials say it was created to be attractive, environmentally friendly, conducive to learning and, above all, safe. Others left through retirement or job changes, and a handful chose to transfer as part of their personal recovery process, he said.
Principal Dr. Kathy Gombos said the kids are their top priority. This fall, the new building will be open for students once again.
In one classroom, a refrigerator magnet reads “We are Newtown, we choose love”.
Remington wants many company records requested by the families’ lawyers sealed from public view, saying disclosing them would hurt the company financially and benefit competitors.
The nature-themed, two-story school takes after what the community is most familiar with, Newtown’s green scenery.
“That is what a school should be”, said Moran, “the excitement of learning and seeing all the new stuff”.
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In just a few weeks, the new Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown will welcome students for the very first time.
