Beverly Shores Elementary School officially unveiled its renovated campus Wednesday, welcoming elected officials, community leaders, school district administrators, staff members, project partners, supporters and a handful of families for a ribbon-cutting ceremony, guided tours and refreshments.

While those in attendance got the first look inside the modernized school, the entire Beverly Shores family will have an opportunity to explore the renovated campus during Meet the Teacher Day from 1-3pm Aug. 6, just days before students return for the first day of school on Aug. 10.

After spending the past school year learning on a temporary campus, students will return to a school that has been almost completely reimagined. The project replaced aging classroom wings dating back to the 1960s, eliminated the school’s portable classrooms and created a safer, more modern learning environment designed to serve generations of Flamingos to come.

The approximately $35 million project renovated the school’s media center, art room, cafeteria, music room and front classroom wing while adding larger learning spaces equipped with updated technology, improved security features, expanded parking, a redesigned parent pickup and drop-off area, covered walkways and play areas and upgraded athletic facilities.

For Beverly Shores Principal Cindy Christidis, the celebration represented far more than the completion of a construction project.

“For those who know Beverly Shores, you know this journey has not always been easy,” Christidis said. “We packed up our classrooms, moved to a temporary campus, adapted to change, and continued to do what educators do best, put students first.”

As she addressed the crowd, Christidis reflected on the resilience of the school community throughout the transition.

“When we left this campus, we didn’t leave behind who we were,” she says. “We carried with us our culture, our commitment to excellence and our unwavering belief that every child deserves the very best.”

She called the renovated school “a place that reflects the hopes and dreams we have for every student who walks through these doors.”

“This building represents opportunity, innovation and hope,” Christidis said. “Hope for children discovering the joy of learning. Hope for teachers inspiring the next generation. Hope for families who trust us each day with what matters most, their children.”

While visitors admired the bright classrooms, colorful hallways and new furnishings, district officials said the transformation runs much deeper than appearances.

Executive Director of Facilities Design and Construction Molly Randall much of the old campus had simply outlived its usefulness.

“The school’s former principal Mrs. Cunningham, used to call it the “Hollywood set school,” and If you knew the old Beverly Shores, you’d understand what she meant,” Randall says.

Although portions of the campus had been updated in the early 2000s, much of the school remained frozen in time.

“You would come through these new buildings that had been done and it all looked great, but then you walked through the breezeway and there was the old 1960s wing,” Randall says. “Then in the back, there were probably 20 portables.”

More importantly, she says, the aging layout no longer met today’s expectations for school safety.

“Safety and security, obviously, are incredibly huge,” Randall says. “You had a lot of nooks and crannies. You couldn’t monitor everything. They didn’t have appropriate restrooms for all of the classrooms.”

“By any measure, it was a substandard facility.”

Students assigned to portable classrooms also faced challenges during Florida’s unpredictable weather.

“They’d have to come inside if there was a storm warning,” she says.

Today, the campus has been consolidated into permanent classroom buildings with larger learning spaces, adjoining student restrooms, improved sightlines for supervision and the latest classroom technology.

The renovated front wing will house prekindergarten through second grade, while older students will learn in a larger classroom building elsewhere on campus.

Lake County Schools Superintendent Diane Kornegay said the improvements are part of the district’s five-year capital plan to modernize aging schools across the county.

“It’s been on the books for a while to ensure that all of our aging facilities get the latest upgrades,” Kornegay says.

She believes the updated learning environment benefits both students and teachers.

“Any time a child has an opportunity to learn alongside the latest technologies, safety requirements and just the beauty of the facility itself, I think makes learning more exciting and more inviting for students,” Kornegay said.

She added that quality facilities also help recruit and retain educators.

“Teachers deserve a beautiful and safe place to work as well,” she adds.

School Board member Tyler Brandeburg said while the new campus is beautiful, the educators inside are what truly make the difference.

“We had some architects come in for interviews and a couple of them were talking about the big, shiny, beautiful spaceship they were going to build us and how that was going to help our kids,” Brandeburg says. “That is certainly part of the equation. But without folks like Principal Christidis, without our teachers and staff who put in the work every day, that shiny spaceship, this beautiful building behind us, means nothing.”

Brandeburg also recognized former Beverly Shores teacher Sue Bragg, who attended the ceremony, thanking both Sue and Ken Bragg for their longstanding contributions to education in the community.

Congressman Daniel Webster, who immediately fell in love with Beverly Shores’ flamingo mascot, praised all those involved in the planning and renovations.

Leesburg Mayor Alyson Berry said the investment extends well beyond the campus itself.

“When we invest in education, we’re investing in our future workforce, our neighborhoods, our local economy,”  she says. “We’re investing in the people who are going to be leading this city one day.”

Teachers who have spent years at Beverly Shores said the changes are immediately noticeable.

Literacy coach Tarhonda Peterkin Williams, who has worked at the school for 14 years, remembers the aging buildings all too well.

She said the brighter learning spaces will have an immediate impact.

When you see what’s been done, then think of the older building with the mold and everything, it’s so refreshing,” she says. “It inspires learning.”

Math coach Kristen Custer who’s taught at the school for 20 years, says many students have spent much of their elementary years learning in portable classrooms or at the temporary campus.

She believes the new campus sends a powerful message.

“For the community, students and the teachers to come in and see how much they’re respected and taken care of here is amazing,” she says. “It’s just nice for them to have something new.”

Parent Jessica Webb said she believes the new building’s vibe and dimming abilities will especially benefit her son and other students with autism.

“The overall color and atmosphere is soothing for kids with autism. It’s going to be a huge difference,” Jessica says.

Her 7-year-old daughter, Shelby, was equally impressed.

“I don’t like it …I love it!” she says.

Leesburg City Commissioner Alan Reisman said the investment sends an important message to students.

“Having the kids walk into a brand-new school kind of just ignites their passion and shows that the community is behind them and supporting them,” Reisman says. “Kudos to the Lake County School Board for doing this here in Leesburg.”

The renovated campus also expands opportunities outside the classroom.

A courtyard between the two classroom buildings now features an outdoor stage where the school’s theater group, choir and steel drum band can perform. The fine arts-focused school also added a basketball court, soccer field, baseball field and two shaded playgrounds.

Christidis said she’s especially excited for students to experience those new spaces.

“I’m super excited to be able to show them the stage in our courtyard,” she says. “We have a steel drum band and a performing arts club, and they’re going to be so excited to be able to perform outside.”

The renovation was funded primarily through the voter-approved 1-cent infrastructure sales tax shared by Lake County and its municipalities, along with revenue from a local property tax levy and impact fees on new residential development.

For Christidis, however, the biggest moment is still to come.

“I can’t wait to see the faces of teachers and students when they see this,” she says. “And I have never been more excited, or more hopeful, about what lies ahead.”