HELENA — Wednesday, the Helena Public School District broke ground at Kessler Elementary, taking a step toward replacing the outdated, undersized building.
“We are here. We are building a new school,” Kessler principal Riley Thatcher said.
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Over one hundred community members, students, and staff gathered for the special moment.
“It felt like this is something I will remember for my entire life, and it is really important to me,” Kessler fifth grader Clara Cecrle said.
The new school will be built next to where Kessler stands today, so as not to impact students' day-to-day too much, and it will have 24 classrooms, including two for life skills and two for Kindersprouts.
The new space will also include a fully compliant kitchen and fire suppression system, improved gym and multipurpose spaces, and the infrastructure to support current and future educational needs.
“The kids have continued to be involved, so they were a part of the design; they were a part of the dreaming, but they are also standing at the fence with their hands on the chain link watching the construction happen,” Thatcher added.
This was made possible by the passage of the 43 million dollar elementary school bond last September.
“The day is special; it signals the ceremony of breaking ground on all of our projects,” Helena Public Schools superintendent Rex Weltz said.
Architects from Mosaic and Cushing Terrell were selected by the district last November alongside general contractor Golden Eagle Construction and Swank Enterprises.
“Thank you so much for helping us get a new school, and I just want you to know that this means a lot to us,” Cecrle said.
The project aims to be complete with students back in the building in fall 2028.
