Discovering Joseph R. Pye Elementary

Joseph R. Pye Elementary still has that new school smell. No student artwork hangs its hallways. No shoes have scuffed the floors. No dirty handprints have smudged the walls. 

Parents and students got a glimpse of their new school at 9701 Patriot Blvd. Thursday during an open house.

The 112,192-square-foot facility is projected to serve 711 students, though only 632 have registered so far. There is a capacity to serve 1,100 students, according to Dorchester Two information. 

The building came in under budget at $13.5 million.

Principal Wanda Carroll Williams was on hand to greet them prior to their own exploration through the classrooms. 

"It's an informal, self-guided tour of the building. Just an open house," Williams smiled. 

Williams found out she was coming over from Spann Elementary to the new school — like many of her students at Pye — in February. Pye also has students from Fort Dorchester Elementary and Oakbrook Elementary.

"It has been non-stop go. I had to hit the ground running," Williams said. "Now, we're ready for everybody … Everything is pretty darn near perfect — as close to perfect as we can expect."

The theme of the new school is "Explore, Discover, Learn." And that's what students and parents did on Thursday.

The media center, computer room and music room called to tactile youngsters — and their parents.

"Look at that, Kayla, a music center," Crystal Jones said. Kayla will be entering kindergarten at the school. "It's a new experience for all of us." 

Parent Muhammad Khan was impressed with the new school's smaller class sizes.

"We hope that with the smaller size classes, they should be able to learn better," Khan said of his two small children, Zainab, 6, and Talha, 5. "Everybody is encouraged … The levels of expectations must be higher for everything." 

Talha indicated how much he likes his new school with an enthusiastic nod. 

At the end of exploring his new school, kindergartener Ayden Hudson, 5, had plenty to say about the facility — well, mostly it's playground.

"I think about the playground," Ayden said. "I love playing on it." 

He also said he thinks he'll enjoy lunch. 

When asked what he likes about his classroom, he got even more excited. 

"There's a crazy mirror," he beamed. "Go crazy." 

Parent Jennifer Hudson liked what she saw.

"I am very impressed," Hudson said. "We went through the music room. Loved that they had all the different drums."

The music room boasts instruments from different cultures around the world. 

But the hardwork isn't over yet. The school has a few finishing touches before the first day, Aug. 15. There are also some future goals for the school.

"Our biggest hope is to partner with industry nearby," Williams said. Pye neighbors some of the regions largest employers.