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Chelsea Park Elementary School is ready for the new school year and is in a better state than ever thanks to recent classroom additions and a new gymnasium. (Contributed)

By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE | Special to the Reporter

As the new school year begins at Chelsea Park Elementary, students in third grade will be welcomed into a new wing of the school featuring eight new classrooms.

It also won’t be long until the new gymnasium will be completed for all the students to enjoy.

These additions, which are the first since the school was built in 2006, are a welcome sight for Principal Mary Anderson.

“For years, CPES and the Chelsea community have been growing,” Anderson said. “Our enrollment is the largest of the two elementary schools in Chelsea. As of July 31, our enrollment number was 881 students, which is up from the end of last school year.”

The five portable classrooms at the school will be removed and all the students and teachers will be inside the building, with every room filled, said Anderson.

“Two gifted teachers have been out in portables the longest and probably have the most supplies and materials out of all of our teachers,” she said. “They are very excited to be moving in the building.”

The third grade classes were the only ones split in different locations across the building, now they will all be connected on the same hallway. Four of the classrooms house a tornado safe with special doors that close and coverings for the windows along with restroom access.

With the inspection of the new wing taking place just days before the start of school, the third grade teachers hosted their Meet the Teacher event in the cafeteria on Aug. 5. This gave the teachers additional time to get their rooms ready for the first day of school on Thursday, Aug. 8.

As for the gym, the current one wasn’t a regulation sized gym and was considered more of an activity room. The new gym will be regulation sized and provide a much larger space that can be used for assemblies and sports.

“It was desperately needed,” Anderson said of the gym. “We were very excited to partner with the city (on the project.) It will be nice to have a larger event space to be able to accommodate all students, staff and parents if we have a large event.”

Anderson added that the physical education teachers have expressed their excitement and that they will be able to do so much more with their P.E. lessons by having a larger space to accommodate students.

The former gym will be used for additional PE space as needed, to host smaller assemblies and for indoor recess on rainy days.

Chelsea Park has 17 new staff members this year, including six new homeroom teachers, three new special education teachers, one new split counselor with Forest Oaks Elementary, two new paraprofessionals, one new custodian, a new nurse and new Child and Nutrition Program assistant manager along with two new bus drivers.

Anderson is in her second stint at CPES, her first from 2014-2020 as assistant principal and after being principal at Helena Elementary for one year, is starting her fourth year back at CPES.

She’s excited for the upcoming year and said she loves seeing the teachers come in and set up their classrooms and everyone comes back refreshed and ready.

“It’s always exciting to see (the teachers) back on campus and the same goes with the children,” Anderson said. “It’s a good feeling as principal when you know parents, kids and faculty are happy here and I’m looking forward to another great year with faculty staff, students and parents. My hope is we provide the very best experience and education for our children in Chelsea.”

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