APOPKA, Fla. – Classrooms are fully decorated and ready to welcome students at the new Kelly Park School.
The K-8 school is located on Jason Dwelley Parkway in Apopka about two miles from Kelly Park in Orange County.
Principal Kelly Steinke, who is opening the new school on Aug. 10, said she grew up in the area and was named after Kelly Park.
“My parents moved to Kelly Park Road back in 1971 and started an indoor foliage business and they liked the name Kelly for the beautiful Kelly Park at Rock Springs,” Steinke said.
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Steinke said she never imagined opening a new school in a spot that at one point was nothing but land.
“I never would’ve guessed that I would be serving students right here in my hometown and right in the backyard where I grew up. My parents still live on Kelly Park and I actually can go to the third floor and see their home and see them drinking coffee on their front porch,” she said.
Construction for the school started in February 2021 and was completed in May 2022.
Steinke said so far 735 students have registered for the new school year but the campus can hold up to 1,200.
“Apopka is such a wonderful community. It’s family-friendly, we have a large growth in the area and so I know the families in the community here in Apopka are excited for the K-8,” Steinke said.
While teachers continue to work on some final touches, Steinke has a motivational message ahead of the first day of school.
“I just want the teachers at Kelly Park School to know that we appreciate them, and we know their hard work, their hard work does not go unnoticed,” Steinke said.
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