With the 2023-24 school year underway, the Greencastle Community School Corp. has seen exciting upgrades at various schools across the district.
The upgrades and improvements have taken place at Greencastle High School, Greencastle Middle School, Ridpath Primary, Deer Meadow Primary and Tzouanakis Intermediate.
"It is a very exciting time to be a Greencastle Tiger Cub. We have been able to touch all five buildings with this construction project, and we are proud of that," Superintendent Jeff Gibboney told The Putnam County Post.
The project, which comes with a price tag of about $32 million, began with work at Harbison Stadium, which included about $1.5 million in upgrades to the playing surface and facility.
In addition, there will be an indoor connector, connecting Greencastle High School to McAnally Center, as well a new entrance to McAnally, an expansion of the cafeteria and kitchen space and new flooring in the science lab and redoing second floor classrooms. There have also been steps taken to make pick up and drop off in the bus area in front of McNally safer with the addition of gate arms, according to Gibboney.
Gibboney said when the school year began recently, they were back to 95 percent in the high school and the four new science labs were up and running.
"Students and teachers are back into the classrooms. Football and volleyball are in the new locker rooms in McAnally. The connector is beginning to take shape, and we expect that to be completed around December or January. At the beginning of October, we expect the new cafeteria and kitchen space to be ready. It is moving along rapidly, and we are excited," Gibboney said.
The work isn't confided to just Greencastle High School, as there are plenty of things happening at Greencastle Middle School, according to Gibboney.
Upgrades include a new office, new media center, a new nurse's station, and revamped classrooms.
"We are wrapping up the science labs and they are thrilled. We've changed the existing surface, there is a new front entrance and it is pretty exciting. It has gone pretty well," Gibboney said.
Upgrades also took place at Ridpath Primary, Deer Meadow Primary and Tzouanakis Intermediate, including secure entrances, sidewalk work and other upgrades, according to Gibboney.
While building projects can often hit snags when it comes to construction prices, weather and other variables, Gibboney said things have gone smoothly for his district thus far.
"We have been fortunate with the timing, beginning with our initial study to securing finances to now. We were able to take advantage of good interest rates and got ahead of the game. We haven't seen a lot of issues and it has been relatively smooth," Gibboney said.
And, he admits the district continues to have its eye on the future and other plans to enhance the facilities and educational opportunities for Greencastle students.
"It is exciting and it will be nice to devote more time to academics. Safety, secure access and 21st Century learning opportunities were the three big things we heard about from our stakeholders. We are always trying to evolve, adapt and overcome. We always have a list of needs in the background. We want to keep up with our maintenance program and be respectful of funds, but we owe it to the community to take great care of our facilities and provide opportunities for our students. It takes a collective effort," Gibboney said.
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