JOPLIN, Mo. — A Joplin elementary school has been short of space for many years, but that’s about to change.

Ground has formally been broken at Kelsey Norman Elementary School in Joplin on an expansion project.

Among other things, the project will add 8,900 additional square feet to the existing school, will include five new classrooms, a set of restrooms, and a conference room. Director of Facilities Dave Pettit says it will also be the beginning of the end of modular units.

David Pettit, Director of Facilities, Joplin Schools, said, “We have modulars at this site here at Kelsey Norman, and also the modulars we have on the site at Columbia Elementary, in between the addition project here and the new school build at Dover Hill, it will eliminate all the modular trailers in the District.”

Julie Munn, Principal, Kelsey Norman Elementary School, said, “I’m just most excited that all of our students will have a place to call home, right now we’re in the halls and trailers and closets and so they will actually have a place that’s there’s permanently.”

Dr. Melinda Moss, Joplin Schools Superintendent, said, “And we’ve just been trying to cram things in to every pocket of available space and so this, this meets our adequacy requirements.”

The project is scheduled to be complete in October of the next school year. The addition will be extend out of the Northern exterior of the existing storm room/gymnasium.