Back To School for the Seahawks

Rain couldn't dampen the spirits of the students, faculty and staff of Monday morning as they walked through the doors of the school that had been shuttered for four months for .

PTA members rolled out an actual red carpet lined with heart-shaped ballooons for arriving kids, said principal George Delaporte, and when the students entered the school's foyer, their teachers and administrators were there to .

"It was a very exciting day," Delaporte said.

And it was a long time in coming. The district discovered a widespread mold problem in the Barnegat Boulevard elementary school just before the start of the 2011-12 school year, and it's been closed for cleanup and remodeling since. 

At last reporting, to strip, clean and refurbish the school was about $700,000, and the district is planning more repairs. At its Jan. 17 meeting, the Barnegat Board of Education passed motions releasing bids for upgraded ventilation and a new roof section scheduled to be completed this summer, and said it planned to have the district's energy auditor examine the possibility of a new HVAC system for the school.

For the school community, the shutdown meant a lot of work and cooperation as the district's three other elementary schools and middle school for Collins' 300-plus students and their teachers.

"It could have been tough, but honestly, it wasn't," said Delaporte, "because when we decided that the school needed to be closed and cleaned, we had an administration meeting. Within 10 minutes, everybody gave up space."

Each school shifted classrooms and offered up desks and supplies. "They didn't miss a beat," Delaporte said. 

Then came the process of moving back into what is, from the inside, a brand new school, he said, from the paint and floors to the computers and phone system. "It was a monumental change," said Delaporte. And despite the fact that Collins teachers have now had to set up their classrooms three times this school year, Monday saw everybody settling in quickly, he said. 

"At 8:45 I was walking around outside as they arrived, and by 9:05 the kids had out their mats and were already learning and into their routines," said Delaporte. "I'm just very proud of everyone."

And at 3:30 Monday afternoon, a visitor would be hard pressed to guess that bustling dismissal was the first that Collins had seen in more than half a year. 

As she headed home with mom Jennifer, fourth-grader Meghan Goble said it was exciting being back in her home school. "It felt like we were in a whole new school," she said. 

The district is inviting everyone in the community to tour the school at a "grand reopening" event from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2. The event is part showcase, part celebration. "We've put out invites to board members and community leaders," Delaporte said, and anyone who wants to take a look around is welcome.