Students, families get a sneak peek at new Central Trail Elementary School building

Principal Toni Gerber hugs third grader Madison Taylor while she welcomed students and families Saturday to tour the new Central Trail Elementary for the first time.

Parents, grandparents, siblings and students alike flooded through the doors of Central Trail Elementary School today for a sneak peek of the building, which has been under construction since August, 2011.

The school will open officially when school resumes from winter break, on Monday, Jan. 7. The original Central Elementary is located on Central Avenue in Sylvania Township and has more than 80 years of history. But because the building is located on a busy road and the resources in the school were no longer serving students, the decision was made to build a school at 4321 Mitchaw Road.

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The building features 39 classrooms, plus an art room, music room, and a computer lab. Updated technological features, such as a geothermal HVAC system, terrazzo flooring in corridors, and windows in the gym, also set the structure apart.

As parents gathered in the entrance during the sneak peek, many of them expressed amazement at the structure.

“It's great. It's a huge improvement,” Central Trail parent Greg Feller said. He toured the school with his wife, Christine, and their three children. His daughter, Katie, is in the second grade at the school and his sons are too young yet to attend, but he predicts they will also be Central Trail students.

The price to build the school was roughly $13.5 million, which was paid for by a 2008 bonds project. The school, at 72,557 square feet, was designed to be a park-like setting. It includes skylight features and earth tone colors on the walls.

But the yellow and green sparkling terrazo floors in the entryway captured much attention during the preview afternoon.

Fourth-grade teacher Brenda Duffey said the floors were “so worth the wait,” and that many parents agreed.

“I came in the front door and you could hear the excitement. Walking in that front door is a really cool first impression,” Mrs. Duffey said.

Contact Kelly McLendon at kmclendon@theblade.com or 419-206-0356 or on Twitter at @MyTownSylvania.