Barrett Lawlis, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette Published 1:46 p.m. ET Oct. 24, 2019
GREENFIELD TOWNSHIP - Principals Vicki Pease and Steve Rozeski are looking forward to when they’ll be back in the same building, with students from kindergarten up to fifth grade back under one roof.
With the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Bloom-Carroll Elementary School Wednesday evening, that reality is getting closer.
Pease is the principal at the current elementary school in Carroll, and Rozeki is at the intermediate school in Lithopolis. Both of them said they’re excited to bring both schools back under one roof because of the collaboration it offers teachers and the environment for school safety it will provide.
“It can be so hard watching the kids travel outside to their modular classrooms, having to brave the elements,” Pease said. “With the new school, they won’t have to deal with that anymore. It’s going to be great to get to see that.”
Rozeki added that the intermediate school was built in the 1940s, and although there was an addition in the 1960s, the school is not all that modern or convenient for students.
“There are a lot of challenges at the intermediate school, especially for any students or teachers with mobility issues. But I’m excited for the new building, to see us all together and with space that our teachers can actually work, that’ll be good,” he said. “It’ll be nice to have a place where the district can actually grow.”
The new school will be located outside the village of Carroll on Carroll Eastern Road, sitting on more than 55 acres with room for 1,200 students. Its construction is being funded by a 4.3-mill bond issue passed in 2018.
“We wanted a space that could accommodate that many kids because while the district might not get that big, it is growing,” Shawn Haughn, Bloom-Carroll School District superintendent, said after the ceremony. “We wanted to make sure we addressed our current needs and prepared for the future. We were able to be efficient and practical, focusing on the needs of students and teachers.”
Classrooms will be larger. Haughn said the current classrooms, plus those in the modular classrooms supplementing the current elementary building, have around 650 square feet, while the new classrooms will have more than 800 square feet.
Haughn said the new school should be completed in time for the beginning of the 2021 school year. He added the plan for the current elementary building is not certain at this point.
“We’ll probably remove the modular trailers that are there now and keep the primary building as office space for the district,” Haughn said.
Fairfield County Commissioner Jeff Fix spoke at the ceremony, thanking the community of Carroll for looking to their children’s futures. In an interview after the event, Fix added that it’s important to have an educated workforce to help grow the county.
“Right now, the commissioners’ goal for Fairfield County is to bring work to the county, and in order to do that, we need to have educated students. We really appreciate when a community steps up to help provide a bright future for their kids, and that’s what the people in the Bloom-Carroll district have done with this new school,” Fix said.
According to Haughn, the land for the new school was bought about 20 years ago and he’s grateful the school board had the foresight to keep that land.
“Having a vision is seeing something that other people can’t see. It must have been difficult to convince people this was necessary, but it’s definitely benefited us in the long run,” Haughn said. “We’re honored to bring this project to fruition.”
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