KEY WEST, Fla. – More than 8,600 students throughout Monroe County are now back in the classroom. For some, Wednesday is the first day of school for the very first time.
"(It was) very organized. Parents followed rules, kids (were) excited. We had a few criers, but it was still fantastic," Gerald Adams Elementary School Principal Anne Herrin said.
The elementary school in Key West was bustling with eager learners Wednesday, as it has been every year since 1975.
But the students' days in their old building are numbered. Herrin said aging pipes and electrical issues were just too costly to repair, resulting in the decision to start from scratch.
Herrin said the new, state-of-the-art building will open in November.
Renderings show what the finished school will look like.
"By Christmas break, we'll be in the new building," Herrin said.
