EUSTIS, Fla. – As Eustis Elementary school celebrates 100 years, the school is seeking input from parents and community members when it comes to upgrades.
“Aside from the incredible people inside the building, it’s just charmful,” said Eustis Elementary School Principal Reanna Boardway. “There’s so much history and so much charm inside the building that we’re excited for an upgrade, but we still want to keep this charm.”
Boardway said she wants to maintain the iconic front porch of the elementary school.
“I feel like when the community hears ‘Eustis Elementary,’ this is kind of like the first vision that pops into their head,” Boardway said. “They remember the arches. They remember the wood beams in the front. And so, for me, one of the things that I want to see really maintain is this iconic (porch), like this is the first thing that you see.”
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Boardway said she feels the front porch of the school is important to the community and has also served as a backdrop for many class pictures throughout the school’s history.
The upgrade project aims to preserve the school’s charm while providing modern features.
Boardway said she would like to see a larger cafeteria to accommodate community and school events.
“We may have a small school, but we have a lot of family, and they come and support us,” Boardway said. “It’s wonderful. This school is just — they don’t make them like this anymore.”
New technology is also on the list of desired upgrades.
“Our school really wants to see more of the smartboards, the Chromeboxes, and some of the bigger interactive displays that students can actually get up, show their work, and interact with their curriculum on the board,” Boardway said.
The Eustis Elementary project is unique for a couple of reasons. It’s located in the middle of a residential neighborhood and Boardway said some of the students who currently attend the school have parents and grandparents who also attended Eustis Elementary.
She said hearing from the community and getting their input on the upgrades is a big part of this project.
“This is their school,” Boardway said. “It raised their kids, it raised their grandkids — our assistant principal, Ms. Scott, her grandkids went here — so I think there is no other way to do it than to have the community have a huge say in what the future of Eustis Elementary looks like.”
Eustis Elementary will hold a community meeting on Thursday, Feb. 13, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the school’s cafeteria to gather thoughts and suggestions for the school’s upgrades.
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