Sauk Rapids-Rice to host Pleasantview Elementary grand reopening Saturday

Sauk Rapids-Rice schools will host a grand opening for the new Pleasantview Elementary school from 1-3:30 p.m. Saturday.

The grand opening is open to the public. The district is inviting families, community members, stakeholders and alumni to join them for the building's dedication. Guided tours of the rebuilt school will be offered with a chance to address any questions or concerns that parents may have.

The school reopens nearly three years after a fire caused some interior damage to pods that were being used for temporary classroom space.

With over 700 students and possibly more to come, children have been attending the school for two weeks with more additions to the school compared to the old version.

Superintendent Bradley Bergstrom spoke with the Times to discuss how the new school is different from the old school.

The cafeteria is bigger and able to hold a more adequate number of students at a time. The new gymnasium is now full size with an adaptive space for students receiving special education. There's a separate health office where ill students can go straight to because in the old model an ill student would need to go through the main office. There is also space for students who need additional support for reading, math, social-emotional guidance and more.

"It's all of those kind of things... that make this building truly unique with what we experienced with the old P.V. (Pleasantview) but at the same time it is something that is supporting all of the needs of our students," Bergstrom said.

Bergstrom said there would be less white noise as the new school is designed with more doors. He explained the old school was more of an open concept which allowed for more white noise to be heard.

Bergstrom told the times that the bond used to rebuild the school was more than $37 million.

Bergstrom said those who have questions and can't make it to the grand opening event are free to directly contact the district.

This story has been clarified to properly describe the level of damage that the fire in 2019 has caused to Pleasantview Elementary. It only caused some interior damage and did not do more.

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Sauk Rapids-Rice Pleasantview Elementary grand reopening Saturday