MNPS Cuts the Ribbon on New, Sustainable Lakeview Elementary

MNPS cut the ribbon today on its newest school building with a ceremony that brought together an excited crowd of students, teachers, staff, families, and community leaders at Lakeview Elementary School. 

The 117,541-square-foot facility in Antioch features state-of-the-art technology and other design elements tailored to create an efficient and effective learning environment for approximately 800 students. 

“This is what happens when a city invests in its students and its educators and in teaching and learning,” MNPS Superintendent Dr. Adrienne Battle said. “This is what happens when a community supports public education and believes in creating opportunities for its young people at a foundational, neighborhood-by-neighborhood level.”   

Nearly 60 years after opening in a smaller building on the same site, Lakeview now has a community room opening up to an outdoor stage and performance area; a full-sized, multipurpose gym; a geothermal well system used to harness the Earth’s thermal energy for heating and cooling; light shelves above windows to allow natural light to penetrate deeper into the space and reduce glare, and other sustainable design features. 

Dr. Battle was introduced by Lakeview fourth grader Khrysten Perez Portillo, who said students love the school because they feel safe and able to learn in a beautiful setting with a caring faculty and staff.  

“This school is a beacon to the community, faculty, staff, and especially the students,” Khrysten said.   

“While the building may be new, our commitment to excellence, unity, and community remains unchanged,” Executive Principal Angela Davis said after prompting students to say the Lions’ motto: “New Den, Same Pride.”  

Dr. Battle also thanked Shannon Martin and Katie Agnew for leading a 67-day, $5 million fundraising effort that helped to pay for Lakeview’s new gym as well as spaces that can accommodate schoolwide gatherings at Percy Priest and Paragon Mills elementary schools, which also are in new facilities this year.   

Mayor Freddie O'Connell and Board of Education Member Cheryl Mayes, who represents the Lakeview area, also spoke, and the Lakeview Pops chorus performed a new version of the MNPS anthem, “Every Student Known,” with keyboard, violin, percussion, and a Lakeview-themed verse.  

The new Lakeview was designed by the Orcutt | Winslow architecture firm and built by The Carter Group LLC.