COLLEGE STATION, Ark. ā Construction on the new College Station Elementary School reached a high point Thursday morning as Pulaski County Special School District (PCSSD) students, staff, and builders gathered for a topping-out ceremony.
The Nov. 12 event celebrated the placement of the final structural beam and marked seven months of progress since the project broke ground in April. Before the beam was hoisted into place, students, educators, district officials, and construction crew members signed their names across the steel.
The new College Station Elementary is scheduled to reopen in August ahead of the 2027-2028 school year.
The final beam put into place above what will be the entrance of College Station Elementary
PCSSD Deputy Superintendent Dr. Sonya Whitfield opened the ceremony, noting that the campus holds personal meaning for her own family, as her children are College Station alums.
"Today is about more than construction. It is about legacy. It is about community. And it is about the promise of what is yet to come," Whitfield said during her remarks. "As we stand here today, we recognize that while the building may be new, the legacy of College Station is not. That legacy lives in the people who walked its halls, the educators who poured into its students, the families who supported its work, and the community that continues to believe in its future."
A College Station student signing the topping out beam
Remarks followed from College Station Elementary Principal Anjelica Evans, fifth-grade students Jamie Clayton and Jai Woods, Doyne Construction Company President and CEO Dexter Doyne, and Progressive League of College Station President Austin Porter.
Evans connected the milestone to the school's academic turnaround from an F to a B rating.
"This new building will stand as a reminder that transformation is possible,ā Evans said. "We are not just topping out a building; we are raising the ceiling on what is possible for our children.ā
Fifth-graders Jamie Clayton and Jai Woods reflected on what the new building means as they complete their final year at the school.
"Even though I won't get to experience the new school as a student, I am excited for the students who will," Clayton said. "Today, we aren't just building a school. We are building dreams, creating opportunities, and leaving a legacy for the students who come after us."
Fifth grader Jamie Clayton pointing to a design of the new College Station Elementary
"College Station Elementary has given me more than an education; it has given me a place where I belong," Woods said. "As I get ready for the next chapter of my life, I will carry the lessons, friendships, and love I found at College Station with me."
Built at a higher elevation overlooking Frazier Pike, the school will feature a gifted and talented classroom, a special education suite, a dyslexia room, a large media center with custom seating and shelving, and a multipurpose lobby with lounge seating and a presentation wall.