When students arrive for the first day of classes at Elco Intermediate School in Meyerstown, PA on Monday, they will find a whole new world opening up before them.

The new two-story building has a blue/gold scheme to mesh with the district's school colors and offers a wide-open, airy feel to it thanks to large windows in classes and hallways that afford views of the lush neighboring farmland in Jackson Township.

Starting with this school year, Elco's elementary students are clustered, with kindergartners through second-graders housed at Jackson and Fort Zeller elementary schools, while the third- through fifth-graders are enrolled at Elco Intermediate School.

But beyond its appearance, the school features state-of-the-art technology, with whiteboards in the middle of traditional greenboards in every classroom. Those whiteboards will enable teachers to use computers to project notes and websites for the students to see.

The ceramicsteel, eno interactive whiteboards, manufactured by PolyVision, include touch menus that give teachers an array of options for presenting material to classes.

In addition, the school, designed with the environment in mind, has a geothermal ventilation system and motion detectors, which activate lights and should minimize utility bills.

Principal Laurie Bowersox, who previously split her time between Jackson and Myerstown elementary schools, is more than a little pumped for classes to begin.

"Our facilities are very nice," Bowersox said while taking a couple visitors on a tour of the school a couple weeks ago. "We tried to bring nature in (to the building's design)."

A paved walking path links the school's parking area to a softball field just north of the school that is used by Elco Middle School students.

Third-graders will attend classes on the first floor, with fourth-graders on the second floor. Fifth-graders will be split between the two floors. Each grade's teachers are split into two teams.

An open house is planned for 2 p.m. Oct. 17, when the building will be dedicated.

Among the school's first-floor features:

• A gym that has a PIAA-regulation-size basketball court and bleacher seating for about 250. With an adjoining stage area, the gym can be used for musical productions/large-group events with seating for about 1,000. The gym has opaque lighting.

• A conference room with a collapsible table that can easily be reconfigured into two smaller rooms. The conference room is part of an office suite located just to the left of the school's main entrance and includes Bowersox's office.

• A nurse's suite that includes an exam room, office, rest room with shower, cot room with four cots, a full-size refrigerator to store medications, a washer and dryer. The suite is connected via a short hallway to the main office.

• An art room with a lab area, computers, storage area and kiln.

The second floor includes:

• A double classroom that can be used as a community room for events like a book fair or Santa shop.

• The school's library.

• A computer lab.

• Four large-group instructional areas, with whiteboards, where two or more classes can be brought together for joint class programs. (Two other large-group areas are on the first floor.

'Teamwork is going to be our biggest focus at our school," Bowersox said. "Our staff members are excited. They can't wait to get started."

Source: ldnews.com