GRANADA — With the 2017-2018 academic year quickly approaching, Granada-Huntley-East Chain students can expect to see many changes when they walk through the school doors.

The GHEC building has seen many changes through facility projects, as the school district works to update and improve, according to GHEC Superintendent Mandy Fletcher.

Funding for these projects came from a referendum in 2015. Voters approved a $6.9 million bond levy.

With these funds, the district was able to move forward with facility projects compiled in a strategic plan. This included construction of a new gymnasium and a few classrooms, as well as replacing the windows in the building. The goal, said Fletcher, was to complete the projects as financially responsible as possible. In the end, there was still money left over from the referendum.

“We were very diligent and very mindful of spending the community and the taxpayers’ dollars,” Fletcher said. “Keeping in mind, of course, always doing what’s best for our kids, while also being financially responsible.”

With some referendum money left over from the major projects, it was time to evaluate what else could be done to better improve the school. A wish list was previously made in the off chance that money would be left over, and with good bids and quotes from the original projects, said Fletcher, the wish list became a reality.

Many items on the list focused on the older gymnasium and included putting in a new PA system with sound panels to improve the sound quality and reduce echoing. LED lighting is also new. The gym floor was resurfaced to match the newer gym floor.

Fletcher said the gym will still be used for physical education classes and recess, with the stage used for plays, concerts and high school drama practices.

“It looks like a brand-new gym,” she said.

The cafeteria was also a focus. When students walk in this fall, they will see a newly re-tiled cafeteria to match the school’s new color scheme, as well as updated stainless steel counter space and serving tray, new LED lighting and new furniture.

“It’s really just a completely freshened up space that we want kids to be excited to eat here and be excited to have that social time with each other,” Fletcher said.

Other wish list items included laying asphalt for the playground, putting in a sidewalk from the playground exit door to where the buses load, updating the science lab and putting a welcome sign near the entrance of the building.

Fletcher said every project they set out to do will be completed by the start of the 2017-2018 academic year, with the final project — re-doing the building’s hallway floors — scheduled to be completed by Aug. 18.

“With these wish list items, you really want to take that referendum money and really put every penny investing in the kids,” Fletcher said. “And that’s what our goal is to do, to make financially responsible decisions and update, build, revamp and do whatever we can for these kids.”

Some of the leftover referendum money will be used to invest in technology, such as new Chromebooks for students and iPads for the K-3 classrooms. Fletcher said the goal is to have each classroom be one-to-one, which means having one Chromebook for every student, by the 2018-2019 academic year.

Science equipment is also set to be purchased through an $8,000 grant from the 3M Foundation. This equipment will include heart-rate monitors, burners, computer software, a DNA modeling structure, different chemicals and sensors.

“We want to prepare our kids the best we can for their fields, and to get them interested they want to be learning and practicing with cutting-edge equipment,” Fletcher said. “We really can’t do that on our own, so the fact that 3M was able to award us this grant is just huge for us.”

With all the changes that GHEC is experiencing, Fletcher said it is easy to get excited for the 2017-2018 academic year.

“I credit so many people with being so smart and responsible, and really wanting to do this project as financially responsible as we can, while getting everything done that we need to do,” Fletcher said. “There were just so many people that made so many smart choices, and because of that we can do our wish list project, which has been awesome to do.”