It may be the fall of 2008, but some kids in Unit 5 are finally jumping into the 21st century as they jump into a new school year.

For the second graders at Glenn Elementary, they may have wanted a map to make sure they were in the right school.

"It just looks so cool. The last time I was in first grade it didn't look like the other classrooms," Glenn 2nd Grader Isabella Delsasso says.

Gone are the 1950's blackboards and chipped floor tile, replaced by carpet and Smart Boards.

"This is so exciting. This is really making the learning environment something special," 2nd Grade Teacher Angela Trafk says.

In a span of 54 days, 58 classrooms in the district were renovated over the summer.

"It did make it a little unfair that we have some of these kids going to beautiful new buildings and our kids didn't have the equipment in the classroom," Glenn Elementary Principal Carmen Bergmann says.

"We didn't want haves and have nots. I think this has done a really good job in trying to keep that from happening," Unit 5 Superintendent Gary Niehaus says.

This new look to an old school brings a new sense of pride for parents who live in this older neighborhood.

"That's always kind of a fear because of space constraints and people want to consolidate things that a small school will go to the way side. It looks like Unit 5 is making this a priority here," Sam Stearns, who has 3 kids at Glenn, says.

Unit Five is growing fast with nearly 13-thousand students this year.
To ease overcrowding, the district is renovating 8 schools and building four new ones. Out of this monster 4-year, $97-million project, the students are noticing the small things.

"The doors because I never expected that the doors would be different colors. And, I really like red," Delsasso says.

By approving a property tax hike in February, voters opened the door to the next generation of classrooms for these kids.