For two years they've gone to class in mobile units...now Chapman students have a school to call their own.
A tornado destroyed schools in Chapman back in 2008, Wednesday morning; all schools held ceremonial ribbon cuttings and let the students roam the hallways first the first time.
School officials had set 2011 as the deadline to reopen the schools. During the rebuilding process staff members noted that the kids stayed strong.
“I think that these students have every right to have this facility,” says Chapman high principal Kevin Suther.
“They went through something for two and half years that most people in the state cannot say they have done,” added Suther.
The senior class at Chapman high only gets half a year to enjoy the new facility, but they could not be more excited.
"I actually bought myself new white sneakers to celebrate that we won’t be trampling through the mud," says senior Kayla Bartlett.
Others in the senior class are ready to embrace the bare essentials of the building.
"Floors and ceilings and all the stuff people take for granted, the material of the building is what I cannot wait for," says senior Karl Janke.
Faculty and staff at Chapman are looking forward to the new and improved learning environment. Adding the new surroundings have yet to truly sink in.
"Anytime that you have a tragedy, no matter how small or large, people come together…in the state of Kansas were just kind of famous for that,” says Chapman middle school principal Bruce Hurford.
The rebuilding process is more than three school taking shape; it is the first step in restoring the pride and community in Chapman after all the hard times it has recently seen.
