CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Channel 11 got the first look inside a brand-new, state-of-the-art building in the Seneca Valley School District that will officially open this fall.
Ehrman Crest Elementary/Middle School is the first of its kind in Pennsylvania.
It’s an innovative cutting-edge building for kindergarten through sixth grade, designed with the help of Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh and CannonDesign.
The lead designer said the layout encourages movement to help with thinking and creativity. Plus, it’s very open.
“One of the big differences you’ll see in this school than a typical school is the amount of daylight and amount of windows,” said Troy Hoggard, CannonDesign lead designer.
Seneca Valley School District leaders said they built the new school since the district is growing and they closed the Evans City School, which was 84 years old.
This was a four-year project. The school is along Ehrman Road in Cranberry Township, and it can hold 1,400 students.
What makes the school so unique for students is how the district designed the building to be “a learning tool so as children walk everywhere and see there’s an opportunity to learn,” said the district’s assistant superintendent, Sean McCarty.
Each grade has its own identity. School leaders said educators, teachers and even kids also helped with the design.
“Our hope with designing this building is that it will be a model for the other buildings we have in this district as we continue renovations moving forward,” said McCarty.
Right now, workers are putting the finishing touches at the new building, and it will be ready to go for the first day of school on Aug. 23.
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