On a cold winter day in December 2015, Dr. David Hoffert spoke to Lincoln Elementary students about the vision and dream of a new building for them. The students then broke ground to symbolize the start of the building project.
On Jan. 11, that dream came to fruition as Lincoln Elementary was officially opened for student and staff use. Those who visited the facility in the morning could feel the excitement clearly visible in the expressions and voices of students, teachers and staff as they made a ceremonial walk from the old building into the new facility.
“We are extremely grateful to the community for providing us the opportunity to build and open a new Lincoln Elementary,” stated WCS Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert on opening day. “We know that today is just the first of many great days in this new building. We are excited to see our students flourish in this new facility. A big thank you goes to our teachers and support staff for the transition into the new building mid-year.”
“The completion of this project is more than just the opening of a new building. The new Lincoln Elementary is the culmination of much dreaming, planning, hard work, and dedication of our resources – all on behalf of our children,” shared Heather Reichenbach, WCS board president. “The WCS School Board of Trustees sincerely thanks our staff, students, parents, and community for continuing to provide for excellent education through safe and conducive learning environments. This opening is a celebration – for our community, for our students and for our future.”
Warsaw Community Schools would like to especially thank the Warsaw and surrounding communities as this endeavor would not be possible without their support. “It’s About Kids” and “Building Our Future” have been themes throughout this project and this morning it was evident how this building project will impact the learning environment with innovative and creative spaces carved into the building. It will be a showcase for this community for years to come.
“It is not often you get to see the look on kids’ faces when they get to go into a new school building for the first time,” noted WCS Building Project Manager Jim LeMasters. “It is a great feeling to be able to give the kids a new building and I am proud of the work completed by staff and construction crews alike to ensure Lincoln was completed on time, on budget and in the best way possible with the dollars we had to work with.
