KANAWHA COUNTY, WV (WOWK) – The construction process is moving along for the new Clendenin Elementary School in Kanawha County!

Kanawha County Schools and construction officials gave a media tour at the new site on Tuesday, Sept. 19. The old elementary school was washed away, along with Herbert Hoover High School, in the devastating 2016 floods. The two schools were about a mile apart.

Since then, there have been some obstacles and bumps in the road, pausing construction here and there, but the future is looking brighter for the new, state-of-the-art school building!

“I think there will be some teachers, like I, who will get teary,” said Clendenin Elementary School Teacher Michelle Callen. “Definitely think that’ll happen, but the kids will just have sheer excitement. I mean, once you walk in here, everything is done, and they see all this new stuff, new home and space, and little things, like art and music don’t have to share a spot.”

The district says they expect the new elementary school to be open early next school year.

“It’s been a long process, and we’ve worked with the state and with FEMA and our local authorities. And it’s just been true cooperation among all levels of government, which sometimes seems strange to folks,” said Superintendent of Kanawha County Schools Tom Williams. “But truly, it’s been a smooth process. Good things come to those who wait, and this is truly a good thing.”

The new Herbert Hoover High School opened at the beginning of this school year, and the old portable classrooms students used for seven years are currently being torn down.