SPANAWAY, Wash. — For the first time since construction began at Evergreen Elementary in Spanaway, students are returning to a newly renovated school on Wednesday.

The principal, Lisa Whitmire, says the school was established in 1979, but hasn't been updated until now. Construction started in 2024. Students were temporarily moved to another location.

"The building is as old as I am, so it needed a remodel," said first-grade teacher Heather Haugen as she laughed and put the final touches on her new classroom.

The renovations added 10,000 square feet and 10 new classrooms to the school.

"It's a renovation, but we were able to take it down to the foundation and the studs, so every inch of the school is brand new; the cabinets, the flooring, the windows, the doors, the playground," said Wh

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