The start of the school year is just a few days away as area children soak up the last of the sunshine and late nights, trading them for fun with friends and homework.
Glen Lake students are scheduled for a half day on Monday. Leland and Northport students will follow on Tuesday, while students at Suttons Bay and Lake Leelanau St. Mary will return after Labor Day weekend.
Suttons Bay is coming back after tearing down its former middle school to make way for more space and a new, smaller building to fit the school’s current and projected size.
“We have had our hands full over the summer, related to the bond projects,” Suttons Bay Superintendent Casey Petz said. “In the background there are contractors from every trade, with Elmers and Bay Area Disposal still chipping away at some demolition of former classrooms ... I’m looking forward to restoring that part of the property to a nice, pleasant natural setting, and a gym.”
Construction for the new building will start to show progress come fall.
The Norse welcomed kindergarten families on Wednesday before hosting an open house on Sept. 3, then returned to the halls after Labor Day.
“There’s an energy about it, and to see some longstanding issues get addressed, and when u take something down, there are deep emotions and memories,” he said.
Petz hopes every family loves, trusts, and meets those basic conditions of learning as children make their way back to school.
“We want them rested and feeling like they are in the right place and supported by school and family,” Petz said.
Glen Lake is cleaning up its mess after replacing all steam boilers on the school campus.
Crews are installing quarry tile throughout the secondary renovation project, including the 300 and 400 hallways, with new plumbing outflow work completed before the new flooring goes down. Classrooms in the 300 and 400 sections are being remodeled with horizontal-to-vertical unit ventilators, along with hotwater and climate-control upgrades. Common areas throughout the building, from the superintendent’s lobby down through the secondary lobby to the kitchen and cafeteria, will also be remodeled.
Both Glen Lake and Leland hosted open houses yesterday.
