WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — Whitehall-Coplay School District officials showed off the newly finished Gockley Elementary School at 2940 MacArthur Road for the first time Sunday.
The two-story, 93,000-square-foot building for the district's kindergarten and first-grade students replaces the old Gockley Elementary School at 2932 Zephyr Blvd., which was built in 1978.
Planning for the transition began in 2016, but the project was delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Construction finally began in April 2022.
“The level of excitement to kind of see that we're at the end and we're moving into the new building — it's almost indescribable because it's taken so long to get here."Denise Saylor, Gockley Elementary School principal
“The level of excitement to kind of see that we're at the end and we're moving into the new building — it's almost indescribable, because it's taken so long to get here,” said Denise Saylor, the school’s principal.
The district has outgrown the old Gockley Elementary in the years since its completion, especially after launching full-day kindergarten classes.
“We did have a lot of instruction — it was small-group instruction with math and reading interventions — that was actually happening in the hallways because there were no classroom spaces available,” Saylor said.
The new Gockley Elementary not only has more classrooms, but each room is larger, giving students more room to spread out.
“For kindergarten and first grade, they're not really in their seats a whole lot," Saylor said. "They're doing a lot of activities and group work. So, having the space in order to do that was a challenge at the old building.”
The new building also comes with a technology upgrade. Each new classroom includes a Smart Panel, a whiteboard and projector replacement that Saylor said will boost student engagement.
Another new addition, a STEM education room attached to the library, will allow weekly science, technology, engineering and math classes focused on hands-on projects.
Visitors touring the new building Sunday were generally impressed with what they found.
“They did a really nice job with it."Ronnie Herbine, Whitehall Twp. resident
“They did a really nice job with it,” said Whitehall Township resident Ronnie Herbine.
Herbine said he often walks near the new building and watched it take shape over the past couple of years.
“It’s definitely different. It’s definitely updated,” said Megan Herbine, who attended Gockley Elementary at its former home.
Michele Due, a paraprofessional at the school, described the new building as appearing "bright and airy."
Once Gockley’s teachers finish moving their classrooms from the old building to the new building next week, district administration staff will take their places.
Along with new offices, part of the old Gockley will house pre-kindergarten programs in partnership with Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit.
Soon, Saylor said, the old Gockley will receive a new name reflecting its new use, leaving just one Gockley Elementary.
