Dream Lake Elementary School will have dedication ceremony to mark revamped campus

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Dream Lake Elementary School, one of eight Orange County Public Schools facilities that have been renovated, replaced or opened as new for the 2016-2017 school year, will celebrate with a dedication ceremony on Tuesday, October 18 from 9:30-10:30 a.m.

While each event will have its own character, all will include ribbon-cuttings and student performances.

Superintendent Barbara Jenkins, School Board Chairman Bill Sublette and district board members are among the officials who will participate.

The first of eight dedication ceremonies will be on Tuesday, October 4, at Lockhart Elementary School in Orlando. All together, seven Orlando schools and one Apopka school are having dedication ceremonies in October and November 2016, and January 2017.

Dream Lake Elementary School had a sneak peek of their campus on August 11, when families and officials saw the results of the $17.9 million, one-year project such as redone classrooms and hallways, upgraded digital technology, furniture and even a mural depicting nearby Dream Lake.

Overall, the improved building is 74,220 square feet with a capacity for 832 student stations. Whereas the old building had one floor, the new building has two. Reconstruction began in summer 2015 and ended last summer.

While school underwent reconstruction, students spent the 2015-2016 school year at the former Apopka High Ninth Grade Center.

The revamped Dream Lake Elementary School even has smaller classroom sizes because state law has capped the maximum number of students per core class in public schools depending on grade range.

The Dream Lake reconstruction was one of several in the Apopka area and Orange County to have their facelifts thanks to the voter-approved half-penny sales tax, first passed in 2002 then renewed in 2014 for a another 10 years. This extension has been expected to raise $2 billion for the overhaul of 59 schools and technology upgrades.

For more updates about the schools in the Apopka community, read The Apopka Chief online and in print.