SANFORD, Fla. — Seminole County Public Schools is the first district in Central Florida to return to school with a face-to-face learning option during the coronavirus pandemic.
What You Need To Know
- Pine Crest Elementary School of Innovation opens for 1st time
- Amid the pandemic, collaborative spaces won't have high traffic
- COMPLETE COVERAGE: Back to School in Central Florida
It's also the first time the new and improved Pine Crest Elementary School of Innovation in Sanford will have students. The state-of-the-art magnet school opened Monday for the first time.
Principal Alex Agosto said about 300 students are starting face-to-face Monday — that's about half of the enrollment.
The school was designed with collaboration in mind, and while that's not possible right now, he's excited about what's to come.
Michelle Lumsten dropped off her 4th grade son Monday morning.
"It's about time for them to be a child again," Lumsten said.
Principal Agosto said the new magnet school focusing on coding and computer science was five years in the making.
"Thinking outside the box, it's the idea that we give our students the opportunity to be creative, be collaborative, and also connect beyond our 4 walls," Principal Agosto said.
But collaborative spaces like in the media center won't see high student traffic just yet because of the coronavirus pandemic.
"It's hands on type of activities for our students like 3D printers, in due time. We're excited our kids will be part of our Fab Lab production room," Agosto said.
The school's cafeteria has social distancing in mind.
"Students will be sitting on one side facing the same direction and skipping a seat," Agosto said.
Large windows line each classroom to make teaching, down-the-line, more collaborative.
Speech Language Pathologist Ashley Nenna loves the new space, while having to adjust for safety.
"We're going to be provided additional plexiglass and shields that we can utilize, that way we are able to see student's mouths, and they're able to see our mouths," Nenna said.
Lumsten is excited for her son to get started learning face-to-face again in a new school.
"Hopefully everybody practices a safe distance and be obedient to the system," Lumsten said.
The district said about 28,000 students are returning face-to-face at Seminole County schools, while the remaining 39,000 are doing distance learning this school year.
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