Effingham County Middle School students will begin school on Wednesday in a new building.

Principal Rob Porterfield said the teachers did a great job organizing the move.

“They all packed up their stuff, labeled their boxes, made two piles in the room,” he said. One pile was for the movers, and the other was personal items the teachers would move.

The school was still being worked on during the past couple of weeks.

“We expect the school to be completed on time,” Porterfield said. “We expect to be moved in. The teachers return back on July 29. We’ll probably have a meeting that morning, and then they’ll have a couple of days to move and organize and get their rooms ready.”

“The original finish date was expected to be finished around Christmas time, so we’re actually moving in several months before we expected,” he said. “Even though it’s a big push and a crunch here at the end we are getting in at the beginning of the school year, and that gives us the summer to move. It’s all been good. Some of our faculty members have been in this building for a long time, and I know they are very excited about moving in.”

The school has a similar design to the other middle schools.

Porterfield said there will be three lines for the lunch room, and there is a concession stand next to the gym for games. The school insignia is in the floor of the common area, and there are cases for trophies and awards. One is reserved for the history of the school and will have older keepsakes in it.

He said he was happy the school also has a lecture hall that will be used for speakers. It will have a raised platform and a speaker system.

Each academic wing of the school will have pictures of students in that grade level rotated through the year as activities change out.

The media center will have enough computers for a class to come in and each student have a computer to work at.

The vehicles will only be allowed to drive one way, in the direction of Effingham County High School during drop off and pick up times.