Pine River School for Young Learners is inviting community members to take a tour of its new facilities on Oct. 22.
The school, which was converted for its new use this year, provides a safe, stimulating educational environment conducive to effective learning. Pine River is the former site of a district elementary school that the Merrill Area Public Schools (MAPS) Board of Education approved for use as the new home of the Head Start, Early Childhood and four-year-old kindergarten (4K) programs in the district.
“At Pine River, we are utilizing a great space to provide enhanced educational opportunities for our youngest learners,” said Joan Krohn, principal of Pine River School and director of 4K. “We would like to invite community members to take a tour of the renovated school and see some of the outstanding things happening on behalf of students the Merrill area community.”
The move to Pine River School involved a number of adaptations both indoors and outdoors for the health, safety and educational needs of younger students, which took place over the summer. The opening of the school was delayed one week in early September to finish up these renovations, but educational programs have been in full swing for over a month.
Pine River now offers a number of helpful educational spaces, including a gymnasium/cafeteria complete with a kitchen. All of its classrooms are conveniently located on one level of the building.
“Early childhood education is highly beneficial for kids, and research shows that these types of programs lead to higher achievement later on in students’ academic careers,” said Krohn. “MAPS is doing a terrific job of providing these opportunities to the young people of our community.”
The tour will take place from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 22. To learn more about the school, visit http://www.maps.k12.wi.us/schools/pine-river-school-for-young-learners.