By Gari Voss
Allegan Public Schools has been putting finishing touches on the new Allegan Elementary School complex. Tuesday, August 18, 2026, teachers and administrators invited parents and students to tour the building and locate classrooms, the library, the gymnasium, and the lunchrooms. On Thursday, August 20th, the public was welcomed to tour the building and witness the Ribbon Cutting of the first new school in the Allegan Public School District in over 50 years.
Superintendent James Antoine and Board President Dr. Christopher Hodge welcomed the crowd that had been exploring the hallways of the new school. The heartfelt thank you to the architects and contractors along with their crews came easily. In the last weeks, the custodial and maintenance teams have stepped up to deliver furniture and boxes of belongings and teaching supplies to classrooms.
By Tuesday, August 18th, teachers had miraculously organized classroom and teaching materials to welcome the students and their parents to the new school. Antoine reiterated the work of the teachers, paraprofessionals, secretaries, support staff, and administrators that made the unpacking and organizing look seamless. Students and parents were delighted.
The Ribbon Cutting ceremony was the focus of the community Open House on Thursday for a reason. Antoine and Hodge both acknowledged their thanks to the Allegan community that made this facility possible.
As Dr. Hodge share, “This school would not be here without the support of you and our community. May 2021, our community was asked to make an investment in the future of Allegan Public Schools. You were asked to place your trust in our district, our Board of Education, and in a vision for what we could provide for generations of Allegan students. You showed up, you supported our schools, and passed the bond. For that, we are incredibly grateful.
“Your support did not end on election day. This bond covered so many wonderful things for Allegan Schools. Throughout, the community has continued to give Allegan something incredibly valuable – your grace. Through the process of planning and construction, you supported our teachers and staff as they navigated changes and trusted us when the process wasn’t always easy or convenient.
“A school is so much more than a building where children learn to read, do math, discover what they love, make their first best friends, find teachers who believe in them, and begin to imagine who they might become.
“Years from now, students will walk through these doors and these halls who were not even born when the people voted in 2021. They may never know the names of the people who made this school possible, but they will benefit from what this community chose to do for them.
“That says something very special about Allegan. Allegan believes in its children. It believes in its schools and understands that investing in education is an investment not only in the students sitting in our classrooms today but in the future of our entire community. ,
“To our voters, our taxpayers, our families, our staff, our administrators, Christman Construction, Tower Pinkster, design teams, subcontractors, and everyone who had a hand in this process, we thank you. Thank you for your patience, thank you for your grace.”
As the year progresses, it is hoped that not only parents and family members, but members of the wider Allegan Public community will visit the school and celebrate with the students of Allegan Elementary.
