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"It looks great," said Becky Weis, whose son will start fourth grade at the $22.4-million school when it opens in August. "They'll finally have enough room for the kids to spread out and not be in mobile classrooms."
Members of the Beaufort County Board of Education and school district staff celebrated the school's opening by inviting residents for a ribbon-cutting and cake.
Teachers gave tours of the 110,000-square-foot building to incoming students.
"We think it's going to be really fun," said third-grader Hannah Stanley, as she eyed the school's new playground through a window.
The school, east of the traffic circle at S.C. 46 and S.C. 170, is the fourth major project to be completed as a result of a 2008 school bond referendum, said Chris Poe, the district's construction officer.
Early learning centers at M.C. Riley and Bluffton elementary schools opened this year, as did a 650-seat auditorium at Beaufort High School.
Pritchardville Elementary is the first school built using the district's elementary school prototype, a standard design that can be adapted for future elementary schools. A standard design will save the district time and money when building new schools, officials have said.
The school is designed to hold 800 students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, Poe said.
Charles Johnson, the school's principal, said he expects about 520 students will attend the school this fall, including fifth-grader Myles Williams and his sister, third-grader Maya Williams.
The two-story elementary school feels big, they said.
"We've never had a school with an upstairs before," Maya Williams said.
A few incoming students said they're excited about the planned student lounge, called the "Sea Turtle Palace."
As part of a school discipline program that emphasizes rewards for good behavior, students who consistently demonstrate good behavior will earn a trip to the lounge. The space, named for the school mascot, will be filled with games and likely include a PlayStation 3, said Johnson, who worked with a similar lounge and reward program as assistant principal of Robert Smalls Middle School.
