Bonita Springs Elementary School opens new building while preserving historic features

Bonita Springs Elementary School has unveiled a new building that brings teachers and staff closer together while honoring the school’s historic past. Maria Milian, a fourth-grade teacher, shared her thoughts on the new space. "I just feel like it does feel more community amongst the staff. It is important. It's important, especially as a teacher, not to feel isolated because you need each other," Milian said. Milian is among the many teachers eager to set up their classrooms in the new facility. "So I'm excited that we're an inside building now and that teachers are more, closer together because before, on our campus, the grade levels were separated and it was kind of difficult to see those teachers that are not in your grade level," she said. Construction of the main facility took about a year to complete, though work is still ongoing on other buildings. Construction manager Bob Staufenberger explained the challenges of the old building. "So things that were being used in a makeshift way to keep the school running. Now are up to code. They're up to the new standards," Staufenberger said. Despite the upgrades, the school has preserved some features of its original building, which opened in 1921. "You know, just actually behind you is the some of the original beams that were in our original building," said Principal Cynthia Hernandez. Bonita Springs Elementary will host an open house on Wednesday from 4 to 6 p.m. DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.