BOONE, Iowa — An elementary school in the Boone School District welcomed students for the first time last week after three years of construction.
There are 330 students who attend Ledges Elementary School, a school solely for preschool through first grade students.
Ledges' name drew inspiration from the nearby Ledges State Park.
“Mimicking the water, and the roof line kind of goes with like all of like the peaks, and you know, all of the hills that are in the Ledges," principal Autumn Seiler said. "It’s really supposed to complement, you know, something that’s really unique and beautiful to Boone.”
Ledges is a modernized school, with open windows everywhere, allowing sunlight in to classrooms.
"We wanted our indoor spaces to give them some fresh air and some sunlight, and get that dose of Vitamin D that they could through the windows, and kind of think about feeling like they are outdoors," Seiler said.
The school also features a steam room, a tinker lab to grow plants, more STEM-related spaces, a sensory room to keep kids moving and "pods" where kids can share activity space.
The Boone community had waited 20 years for Ledges to be constructed. Seiler told Local 5 that the school had previously been a couple of old buildings, but they were dated.
“We've kind of been cramped in these old buildings that didn't allow our kids space, and a lot of our schedule was dictated by that. A lot of the decisions we had to make was dictated by the space available," she said. "And we're able to finally make decisions that are best for kids."
Another decision on principal Seiler's mind is expanding Ledges to allow second graders to learn at the school as well in the future.