Ron Landreth, left, DivisionOne Construction project superintendent, and Dr. Jeanette Gerault, Fiest Elementary School principal, cut a red ribbon officially welcoming Fiest teachers and staff to the newly renovated campus on Aug. 16. Fiest has undergone renovations throughout the summer, including new safety and security upgrades and furniture throughout the building.

Aug. 26, 2021—Fiest Elementary School hosted a special ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 16 to welcome its teachers and staff to the newly renovated campus ahead of the 2021-2022 school year.

Renovations to Fiest started in September 2020 and include the addition of four new classrooms, a kitchen renovation, fire sprinkler installation, miscellaneous mechanical work, new LED lights, safety and security upgrades, new furniture, cleaning of the HVAC cooling tower and new finishes throughout campus.

Fiest Elementary School teachers tour the newly renovated campus on Aug. 16 after a special ribbon-cutting ceremony welcoming them back to campus.

Due to the renovations, Fiest teachers and staff were working at Woodard Elementary School during the summer before being allowed back to see the campus.

“We feel like we’re on HGTV,” said Dr. Jeanette Gerault, Fiest principal. “It’s like a brand-new school. You could hear the buzz from teachers as they walked around the building and found things they didn’t know were going to happen. We’ve been waiting for these renovations for a long time and we’re super excited to finally be back on campus.”

Part of the new renovations to Fiest include a new kitchen, equipped with new serving lines and more space.

The project was designed by Huckabee, and DivisionOne Construction was the general contractor.

“I’m super excited to see all the renovations,” said Jennifer Brewer, Fiest receptionist. “It’s a much safer campus now, and we now have more room to focus on technology. Our campus is newer, cleaner and fresh. I love it.”