(Seguin) — After years of planning, construction and anticipation, McQueeney Elementary is ready to open its doors to a brand-new chapter.
The Seguin ISD will celebrate the new campus this afternoon with a ribbon cutting. The opportunity will also give students, families and the community a first look at the school before it officially opens for business this Wednesday, Aug. 19.
The new 99,000-square-foot campus at 6625 FM 725 sits just a few miles north of the school’s former location and replaces one of the oldest campuses in the district.
For Principal Trisha Eckols, who has led McQueeney Elementary for the past five years, the move represents an opportunity to showcase what the school has become while honoring the community’s long history.
“Right now, I just really am going to love the opportunity to showcase what we have to offer here and put us on the map. Lots of people know obviously that we are in or were in McQueeney but now our address is New Braunfels. So it’s super important to continue to tell our story and all the amazing things that are happening here,” said Eckols.
The new two-story campus features larger classrooms, collaborative learning spaces and outdoor instructional areas.
Eckols says the new school is something the entire McQueeney community can take pride in.
“I’m just super excited for our students first and foremost because in the McQueeney community, this is something that they can take pride in and say that it belongs to them. And for our educators, they have the newest of the new things that they can offer the students to enhance our learning environment. So there’s just so much to offer and I’m just super excited for our students, our faculty members and our community that hopefully, we can have a lot of events, even our family nights that we have throughout the year that were at our old building, we would have such a great turnout. So I hope to include more stakeholders and welcome them in and continue to share all the great things that are happening,” said Eckols.
While the building may be new, Eckols says the school’s identity and expectations will remain firmly rooted in what McQueeney has always stood for.
“I think it’s just going to continue to be our motto of ‘Where Tomorrow’s Leaders Lead Today.’ That’s been something we’ve been sharing with our community for several years and that’s something that we will continue to instill in every person from students to adults — that we have high expectations for our students and we want nothing but the best for our students and we provide that. So working with our family members and our stakeholders, we want to just ensure that our students reach their fullest potential and we’re going to do that here,” said Eckols.
With the first day of school fast approaching, Eckols is also combining her invitation to tonight’s ribbon cutting with some good news for parents and guardians.
“I think families are going to be super excited about our parking lot situation. So we’re moving away from a very short one lane entrance to a very detailed multiple lane entrance and exit. So we’re really going to have to communicate how that will work as they are coming in because again, safety is our number one priority here. So parents just need to be on the watch out for directions for entering and exiting our parking lot. FM 725 especially this area of 725 is very busy but safety will remain our number one priority,” said Eckols.
And while the new campus is designed for students, Eckols says the new building belongs to the community.
“Visitors are always welcome here. So we hope they come, they see the great things that are going here, how hard our teachers are working. They just need their driver’s license to get their visitor’s badge as they arrive. We will start off the year with our BooHoo breakfast so that our littles, our kindergarteners can get in the routine of what routines and procedures we have here. And that’s going to be sometimes harder for mom, dad, grandma, grandpa dropping off their kids, but the kids are super excited, especially when they’re going to be seeing our space,” said Eckols.
The new McQueeney Elementary School is the result of the district’s 2022 bond election. District officials says this marks a significant milestone for a school community moving from one of Seguin ISD’s oldest buildings into its newest elementary campus.
Today’s ribbon cutting ceremony begins at 4 p.m. at McQueeney Elementary School. Again, the school is located at 6625 FM 725.
For a closer look at the new campus, readers are encouraged to learn more about the new state-of-the-art campus in this month’s issue of the Seguin Today Magazine. Copies are available at Seguin Radio KWED or at several businesses around town.
The magazine is also available online at SeguinToday.com.
The first day for the Seguin ISD is Wednesday, Aug. 19.