In 10 days, students will enter a rebuilt Sherwood Forest Elementary School. The $20 million project is now set to open on Sept. 2, welcoming kindergarten through fifth grade students into the new facility.

Staff and volunteers from Bellevue Presbyterian Church will join together today to prep the classrooms for the start of the new school year.

“This school was really designed to enhance instruction,” explained school principal Gail McDonald. “The design is very thoughtful and the library is at the heart of the school and along with the main office, they are wide opening in a central area so it is very inviting to the public.”

Beyond school hours, the facility will be utilized by the community at night and on the weekends.

The school was designed with student safety in mind, placing the playground and baseball field in the back of the school, fenced in and away from the busy arterial that runs past the front of the school.

The school is only one of two in the district that houses a special education center for children with severe and significant disabilities. The layout of the school was designed to cater to children with wheelchairs and walkers, including an elevator, private restrooms in select classrooms and schoolwide intercom system.

“One thing I really respect about Bellevue is that each of these schools is designed to be very unique, they’re not using a cookie cutter format,” McDonald said. “They really took into account what the teachers and staff wanted to see. It has been, without a doubt, one of the most creative experiences of my life.”

Registration for students will begin on Aug. 25. Sherwood Forest Elementary is located at 16411 N.E. 24th St.;425-456-5700.

Lindsay Larin can be reached at llarin@reporternewspapers.com or 425-453-4602.