All right. Well, we'll get this started. Um, I want to thank everybody for coming out today. Uh, what you see this beautiful learning space. Um, this truly was the efforts of the entire Lancing
community and it is so good to see so many of you of you here today. And I'm not going to steal any thunder, but I think you all deserve a round of applause for making this happen. um not to stand at ceremony. Uh but I
want to bring uh the Lancing School District Superintendent Ben Schultner up here to kick this off. Uh we'll have some speakers uh talk about this occasion because this is truly a unique and a special occasion. And then from there we will uh have photo
opportunities. We'll cut a ribbon, get this thing opened up, and then you can see the the new digs. So without further ado, Superintendent Benner. >> All right. Good afternoon everyone. Oh, you could say it out loud. Good afternoon
everyone. >> This is a glorious day for the Lancing School District, but also for the Lancing community. What you see behind me is the efforts of hundreds and thousands of people who believe in public education. This building would
never have been built if it wasn't for the voters and the supporters of the Lancing community, but also the incredible hard work of so many people behind me who are also representing the hundreds of people that have made this place so great. You're going to hear from much more important people than me.
You're going to hear from people that care deeply, deeply about this school and about this community. But really, I'm honored to start off the process by just saying thank you. Thank you to every single one. Thank you to our builders at Chrisman. Thank you for our architects at C2AE. Thank you for our
facilities team. Thank you for the voters who made this happen. Thank you for the parents that send their children here. Thank you for the students that do the work to that we all want to see happen. Thank you to the teachers. Thank you to the community. Thank you to every single person that cares deeply about
the Lancing School District. Now, the great thing about the building that you see before me is that this is just the beginning. This is going to be the first new school in years, but it's going to be the first of four schools in the next four years. So, what you're going to see
here today is unbelievable and it's special. But Lancing deserves more. Lancing deserves not just one new school, but two and three and four. And what we're doing here as a community is revitalizing and rebuilding this incredible school district. And one
group of people that I really want to thank is the school board. The school board of Lancing has really put their effort into making sure that this district is getting better and getting the things that they need. So, you're going to hear from the president, but I also want to thank the vice president, the board members that are here. This is
really a collaborative effort. Nothing gets done unless we all work together. but also as an educator, as somebody who was in the classroom, who was a principal for 10 years, and somebody that cares deeply about education. What I love about what you're going to see inside is the fact that we are starting
to create a true modern education uh building. Our students deserve the best. I see in the back a a man I haven't seen in years, Ray Freeze, who was the principal of this wonderful school. But he remembers when when we had to shut the school down
because the plumbing didn't work or because the wall literally was falling down. And so what our kids deserve, what our educators deserve is a brand new state-of-the-art incredible education uh facility. And that's what you have here today. So again, thank you. Thank you to
all of you. Thank you for the families, the community, the students, the educators, everybody who had a hand in this. And just remember that this is the beginning. This is the first new school, but it's not going to be the last. And with your support and your care and your
love, we're going to make this school district even better than it is today. So with that, thank you so much, and I look forward to seeing you inside. Thanks for the intro, Superintendent. Just kidding. No, I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. >> And this is the great state senator, Sarah Anthony.
>> Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Uh, good afternoon, everyone. >> Good afternoon. >> Thank you. Thank you. Good afternoon. This is such an exciting day. Um, a few years ago, my partner in crime, uh, Kelly Dean, I don't know if any of you know, the great Kelly Dean, we were
asked to be the face of the bond. Uh, going before voters to ask them to support something larger than just a school building. We were asked to go before the voters to say one big thing, that our kids are worth it. That our
kids are worth state-of-the-art facilities. Because you can't tell me that when we walked through this building a few years ago with crumbling walls and dark kind of dingy uh environment that the the lights were kind of flickering on and off and kids
were too hot in the spring and too cold uh in the winter. You can't tell me what that does to a kid's self-esteem. It tells them that they're not worth it. Especially when we see state-of-the-art facilities and school buildings all
around our region. It was telling our kids that they were not worth it. But because of the men and women in this community, we have facilities like this that Mount Hope and other schools across our community will be state-of-the-art and just as fancy as anyone else's
because our kids are just as good as any other kids in this region and in this state. So, I am so excited to be here. not just as the chair of the appropriations committee or as your state senator, but as a former Lancing school district student that oftent
times it was just the school staff and the teachers that told me that I was worth more. But now the buildings will reinforce what we already know that our kids and our educators are worth it. They are worth the best. So thank you
for allowing me to be a part of this amazing celebration. And now I will turn it over to I believe our mayor, Mayor Andy Shore. >> Someone's going to have to help me out and tell me who I introduce next because look, we have a whole list and
everything. >> Oh, yeah. Absolutely. >> Look at that. See, the the staff here is so good. It's so good. Um, well, welcome everybody. I'm going to have my daughter join me. Um this is such a a an
emotional day for me. First also want to thank our superintendent and our our school board um for this vision. Um as a as a parent of a a young lady and a a son who were going to Mount Hope uh at the time, you know, we we were here. We
lived right across the street on Shouel. Um we saw the school and we love the teachers. Um several who are to my left. I see a lot of old friends um that are teachers, that were principles here at Mount Hope. Um we we love the teachers.
We love the staff. Um but as neighbors and as people sending our kids to this school, we were told maybe it's going to close because the roof, because the boiler, because it's old. This is a school that Jack Davis, the great Jack Davis went to. Um he was one of the
first classes at Mount Hope. He's a legend in Lancing and that was that was a few years back. Um, so we knew that this school had some issues. Um, but we knew that that the the district was on top of it. We saw a Sarah Anthony, a graduate of Lancing Schools, a proud
Everett graduate. We saw her. We saw Kelly Dean. We saw the community come together and talk about what's the need for our kids? What's the need to make sure that they can go further? They can they can do whatever they want. They can go to Michigan State. They can go to U of M. They can uh go into the building
trades. they can do things where they're going to make money and they're going to be incredible members of society. Um, and I mentioned two of those because my daughter goes to U of M and my son is in the building trades. Um, so it's possible and it's it's not only possible, but it's it's it's going to
happen. Um, but as Senator Anthony said, we need to show our kids that that we that we believe in them. And when you have a facility like this, I got to walk around it a month or so ago. Um when you have a facility like this um built by by
Lancing um workers and Lancing residents um it shows the love that we have for our kids. Um so I do want to thank you all for being here. I want to thank everybody that's standing in this audience whether you are a parent whether you are a kid uh or someone who
went to this school or is is going to go to the school. I was knocking doors over the weekend and and a young man said I'm going to be going to Mount Hope and I said it's going to open tomorrow. and he was so excited. Um he was so excited. Um so this is such a wonderful day and I am I'm proud to be part of it. I have my
brick from the old Mount Hope and it's sitting on my desk in city hall in my office. Um and I will always remember the old Mount Hope because it was wonderful. But I am crazy excited for New Mount Hope because of what we're showing to our kids, what we're going to
show to to my daughter and to your kids. Um, and to every parent out there, this is showing that you can and you should send your kids to the Lancing schools because we will get your kids, we will make them successful and we will make them um have every opportunity available
to them. There is no good reason not to send our kids to Lancing schools. And this shows that the residents, the community, the administration, the board, the staff, they believe in our kids. They believe in getting them ahead. They're going to provide everything that they need. Um, so thank
you for all of you for being here and for everyone behind me for believing in our kids. And I am going to introduce our school board president, Robin Moore, who's going to take it from here. >> You're excited, Mayor Mayor Shore. I'm
excited. It is such an honor to stand before our community this afternoon at the opening of Mount Hope School. I am a proud um student or alumni of the Lancing School District and it feels so good to see you all here representing
the community. It's so it's so exciting to have a new building for our students. I want to echo what everyone has said. This is an opportunity for our students and we want the best for our student our students and as board president and for
the board of education we are elated and proud of the work that our team and the community has done to make this happen. So thank you again for all that you have done. Thank you for supporting the Lancing School District. Thank you for putting in time to support our students.
Thank you for everything. Now I'm going to introduce Christina who's going to come before me or after me to give her spill. So you're welcome. >> These speeches are going to get quicker and quicker so we can get you guys inside and take a look at the new school. So my name is Christina Slate.
I'm the chief operating officer for the Lancing School District. I just want to say that um this is a labor of love. It's not just our job, but everybody that stands behind me. This is something that we love to do and we love our students and our families and the community. So, again, I'd like to just
reiterate and thank our community for everything that you've done for the district. Um, I am not as great at just saying speeches off the top of my head as everybody behind me, so I have a little something written down. Um, I just wanted to say uh that the new Mount Hope exists because our community believed in the vision and they backed
it with real support. Through your votes, advocacy, and financial commitment, Lancing residents made it clear. You're investing in our children, our schools, and our shared future. This project proves what we can accomplish when we lead with partnership and
purpose. The way we built the new Mount Hope together as a team sets a powerful example of how we'll continue to build a better future across our district. Thank you again for being here. And now it's my pleasure to introduce Miss Nicole
Holiday, the principal of Mount Hope. >> Good afternoon everyone and welcome to the new Mount Hope. There is nothing quite like the first day of school, but this year would truly be special for our students, staff, and families. The new
Mount Hope represents a fresh start in a space built specifically by for curiosity, creativity, and community. This school was designed to reflect the energy and potential of every single child who enters in it. And you know
what? We cannot wait to bring it to life. This is the beginning of a new chapter in the Mount Hope story. I'm honored. I'm truly honored to to lead a team, such a wonderful team that's ready to make this space not just new, but
transformational for every student who enters in it. Thank you to our community. Thank you. And now I'm going to introduce our wonderful seventh grader, Lauren Wilson. [Applause]
>> Hello everyone. My name is Lauren Wilson. I am a seventh grader at Mount Hope School. Um, I'm really excited for this new building because it gives it gives us a chance to have a new art room, a new science room. we get the gym
and the cafeteria separated. I'm just I'm just really excited for this new building and I'm really happy the community could make this for us. [Applause]
>> Uh I think she stole the show. Um if we could have our partners come out front, we're going to cut the ribbon um and make this official. All of our partners come up and get a piece of the ribbon. >> Yep. >> If everybody wants to funnel up here,
take a look. >> Yeah. Right. Now >> smile out here so everyone can get your picture. >> Everybody help us count down from three. Okay. in three.
[Music] >> Working on it. >> Okay, here we go. In >> three, two, one. [Applause]