At New Sandy Hook School, Students Will be Greeted with Hugs, Nature and Safety (PHOTOS)

SANDY HOOK, CT — A happy turtle floating in a tank in the lobby will be a familiar and comforting sight to students, teachers and parents as they enter the new Sandy Hook Elementary School this fall. At first glance, students will notice the bright and soothing entrance, the flying geese and abundance of trees on the walls. Parents will notice the guards, the gates and the difficulty in getting into the new school which might set some of their minds at ease.

On Friday, members of the media got a sneak peek at the new school led by officials and Consiglii & Sons, who built the $50 million school, and Svigals + Partners, who designed it based on community input. Julia McFadden was the architect for the project. The previous location was demolished after the 2012 shooting of 26 students and educators. Sandy Hook students have been attending Chalk Hill School in Monroe ever since the tragedy.

• See also: Newtown First Selectman Thanks Monroe for Being 'Kind and Compassionate Neighbors' in Aftermath of Tragedy

First Selectman Patricia Llodra has been joining tours over the past few weeks for parents, members of Sandy Hook Organization for Prosperity and others. Llodra said every detail was designed with the children in mind, from the subtle curves of the halls to nature throughout.

"A curved wall is much harder to build than a straight one, but each detail of the school was designed with the students in mind. I like to think of it as children getting a great big hug when they come in," Llodra told Patch. "There's trees and nature, and it's very soothing."

Themes in nature continue throughout the two-story building from sculptures to hanging tree mobiles to the three bells hanging in the front entrance.

That entrance, on Dickinson Drive, is only slightly different from the original one and just a few hundred yards away from the Sandy Hook Firehouse where some parents received the worst news of their lives — that their Sandy Hook Elementary School student would not be coming home.

One then-fourth grade student's mother, who did not wish to be named, said it was difficult to re-enter the school where her now-eighth grade son's life was spared.

"The driveway is actually different. Slight. But different. It was mind numbing. It was sad going back there, and we had such a hard memory from there," she said. "At the same time it was nice because it's been off limits for so long. I'm just glad that my boy is alive and with me and happy and healthy and growing everyday. Lots of parents didn't get that."

Joe Hemingway, President of the Sandy Hook Organization for Prosperity said he was part of the School Based Building Advisory Committee (SBBAC) and said he was happy with the "finished product."

The school serves grades pre-kindergarten through fourth and will open to students this fall. The school's enrollment numbers is expected to be more than 500 for the 2016-2017 school year.

Related:

• Demolition Begins at Sandy Hook Elementary School | Patch
• Sandy Hook Elementary Construction Update | Patch

Photos by Patch Editor Wendy Ann Mitchell