Members of the community and school corporation gathered at Protsman Elementary School on July 18 to witness the groundbreaking for the new school’s construction project.

“It’s a pleasure to see the legacy of Roscoe Protsman continuing on. Educating children was so important to Roscoe and he would be honored to see his name on this state-of-the-art building,” said Robert Protsman, relative of Roscoe Protsman, a lifetime educator in the Lake Central School Corporation.

Though construction is underway, members of the community still gathered to watch the groundbreaking ceremony. Parents, students, and others anticipate the construction of the new school.

“When [the community] sees what great facilities they have, it’ll only bring energy and people will begin to get positive. They’ll really understand what education can do for kids,” Glenn Brown, principal of Protsman said.

The new school will be state-of-the-art and provide students and teachers with a safer, updated learning facility.

“[The students] will have a top notch facility. They’ll have all the tools that they’ll need to be successful. They’ll be very lucky,” Brown said.

Along with creating a better learning environment, the new and improved Protsman will provide a location for community activities. Protsman will have a multi-purpose stage, a large cafeteria, and a community center with a kitchenette.

“[Lake Central School Corporation] probably has some of the best educators I’ve ever worked with. [It’s a] fantastic staff, administration and more. It’s exciting to be able to have a facility that really supports that educational effort and makes the teaching and learning experience easier and more pleasurable,” Tom Neff, architect with Schmidt Associates, said.

New construction also relieves the Lake Central School Corporation’s budget.

“[Construction on Protsman] takes the pressure out of our budget. Really, we need, as school leaders, facilities that will continue to attract young families to our school corporation. We’ve got the performance. We’ve got the teaching staff to drive that performance. Sometimes peoples’ perception will keep them from moving to an area,” Superintendent Dr. Larry Veracco said.

The first phase of construction will be finished August of 2013.