Summit Elementary hosts open house
SUMMIT TWP — Ian Harris is one of many Summit Township Elementary School pupils who say they are happy to be back at their school.
“I missed this place, it's been a long time since I was here,” Ian, a fourth-grade student, said while walking around the building during an open house Tuesday night.
Almost one year after the school closed amid concerns about unsafe lead and copper levels in its water, the Summit students were set to return to their building Wednesday.
The school's 260 students, who live in Summit and Clearfield townships and East Butler, were bused to Butler where they attended Broad Street Elementary School while work was being done to correct the water problems at Summit Elementary.
Broad Street Elementary, which was closed in 2015 as part of a consolidation plan, was used as the stand-in for Summit Elementary from Feb. 6 to Dec. 20 of last year.
District maintenance staff and teachers worked during the winter break to move all furniture and supplies back to Summit and get the building ready.
As approved by the school board, the Summit students had a vacation day Tuesday, which they will make up later this year.
To ensure that the school's water is free of lead and copper the district connected to a new public water line, replaced all the fixtures in the building and decommissioned its water wells.
The plumbing in the school's walls was not replaced, though multiple rounds of water tests conducted recently have shown that the water no longer contains dangerous amounts of lead and copper, according to school officials.
Changes to the water system were not the only improvements made to the building during its closure. District staff removed carpeting and installed tile in many classrooms, installed new carpeting in the library and put a new coat of paint on the hallways, Principal William Chwalik said.
Students and parents were upbeat Tuesday as they got a chance to find their classrooms and tour the school.
“The kids are excited. It's a new start. It's another new adventure,” Chwalik said.
Several students and parents Tuesday said that they liked the Broad Street building, but prefer the shorter bus rides and convenience of the Summit school.
Kindergartner Gianna Bilowich went inside the school for the first time Tuesday, though she was already familiar with the playground.
“She didn't want to leave Broad Street, but I told her it's going to be the same kids and the same teacher,” said her mother, Lindsey Bilowich.
Gianna was one of several students who said Tuesday that the bus ride from their house to Broad Street took almost an hour, while the new run will be less than half as long.
Isaiah Wood, a fourth grade student, said that he liked Broad Street, but missed Summit's gym and playground.
“It was fun, but I like coming here better,” he said.
Regan Mooney of East Butler said her daughter, who is in second grade, adjusted well to the other building, but Summit is more convenient.
“It is much closer to where we live and where our baby sitter lives,” Mooney said.
The winter break and a couple of extra days off gave the district plenty of time to move all of the furniture and classroom supplies, Chwalik said. Volunteers with the Parent Teacher Organization helped decorate the hallways for the open house.
On Dec. 21 the Summit students enjoyed a special field-trip program at the Intermediate High School. Seventy students and parents volunteered to participate in the program, which included performances from musical ensembles, a scavenger hunt and other activities, Chwalik said.
The program was spearheaded by intermediate high school Assistant Principal Carrie Morgan-Davis.
“It was a wonderful day,” he said.
