Winton Elementary ribbon cutting is Monday

COEUR d'ALENE - The front doors of the recently completed Winton Elementary School in Coeur d'Alene will open for the first time on Monday.

Officials with the Coeur d'Alene School District will mark the occasion at 10 a.m. with a building dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony.

"All are welcome to join the celebration and meet the staff and families of Winton Elementary," District Spokeswoman Laura Rumpler wrote in a news release.

Principal Karen Troxel, Superintendent Matt Handelman, and Board Chair Christa Hazel are all expected to give brief remarks during the ribbon cutting ceremony. The school's new flag will be raised, and a student chorus will perform as well.

Winton Elementary teachers and students will be leading guided tours of the new school building following the ribbon cutting.

The 52,000-square-foot building is located northwest of downtown Coeur d'Alene at 920 W. Lacrosse. It was built on the same property as the former Winton Elementary School building, which was 89 years old before being torn down last summer.

Winton's new exterior will feature red brick and pitched roofs on the main entrance as a throwback to the historic building it's replacing. It will have a much larger gym with a stage, a multipurpose room and an elevator.

The entire school is completely ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible.

Construction was completed, on time and on schedule, earlier this month by Spokane-based general contractor T.W. Clark Construction LLC.