Jordan Engle, Grand Island Central Catholic Superintendent, (GICC, Courtesy)
GRAND ISLAND – After years of planning and fund-raising, Grand Island Central Catholic launched its new elementary school and preschool Aug. 14 with the first day of school for students.
The building was funded through an $8 million campaign, said Dr. Jordan Engle, superintendent.
The elementary school “gives us a pipeline of students to move into our middle school and high school,” he said. The school can set academic standards for students going into sixth grade.
The planning process for the school started in October 2018, Engle said.
The preschool is for students ages 3 and 4. There are 42 preschool students enrolled, and there are 4.5 FTE staff members for the preschool. The elementary school is for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. It has 175 students enrolled and 16 FTE staff members.
“The community has really been supportive of having an additional school here,” Engle said.
The elementary school will not offer summer school, he said.
Elementary school students begin their day at 8 a.m. and are dismissed at 3:30 p.m.. Every day, students have seven full hours of instruction, Engle said.
Elementary staff members began working last Tuesday.
“Many of them were here before that, setting up their classrooms,” Engle said.
Engle described the first day of school as emotional.
“It’s been such a long process. All of that long process has been for today. It was a really beautiful moment this morning seeing all of these kids file into school,” Engle said.
The front entrance to Grand Island Central Catholic’s new elementary school and preschool, (Carol Bryant, Central Nebraska Today)
