CORDOVA — With the school year set to begin Monday, construction at Chapel District Elementary School is in full swing.
Administrators, teachers, county representatives and students celebrated a groundbreaking for renovation work at the school on Friday afternoon. The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company is leading construction, which started Aug. 5.
A short ceremony outside the school provided attendees insight into the renovations and what benefits will follow. Speakers included Talbot County Public Schools Superintendent Sharon Pepukayi, Principal Kari Clow, Talbot County Council President Chuck Callahan, Board of Education President Emily Jackson, Critchlow Adkins Children’s Centers Executive Director Cristy Morrell and two students, Abdiel Santamaria and Laney Childress.
“This groundbreaking ceremony symbolizes not just the start of construction, but the beginning of a vision coming to life,” Clow said. “A vision of a school that will provide an environment where our students can thrive, learn and grow into the leaders of tomorrow.”
Construction on the multimillion-dollar project is expected to take a couple years. The school was built in 1952 and last renovated in 1994.
During Friday’s groundbreaking ceremony, Pepukayi thanked the school’s teachers and staff and emphasized safety is a top priority as the school year begins and construction continues.
“Together the Chapel District Elementary School staff has shown patience and flexibility to work with Whiting-Turner and associates, keeping safety a priority while the project moves forward,” Pepukayi said.
The Talbot County Council allocated a projected $26.9 million in capital project funding to Talbot County Public Schools for the renovations. That funding is expected to span across both fiscal years 2025 and 2026.
This April, the state’s Interagency Commission on School Construction unanimously approved a $3.8 million funding request for the project. Lisa Vaughn, capital project manager for the commission, said on Friday that the “kids are worth every penny.”
According to previous Star Democrat reporting, the project includes a full renovation of the existing building and around 16,000 square feet of additions. There will be additional learning space for the school, as well as the Critchlow Adkins Children’s Centers site located in the building.
The school’s media center is moving to the center of the building, and the playground is also under renovation.
On behalf of the board, Jackson thanked the county and state for funding the renovation.
“Funding these improvements for our cherished elementary school shows the collective commitment, not only to education, not only to rural education, but to rural education for our earliest learners,” Jackson said. “It does not go unappreciated or unnoticed.”
Following the ceremony, administrators, teachers, staff and students took turns shoveling the dirt to commemorate the beginning of construction.
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