Top Ten Tuesday: 1200 Davis Street: The Finished Product!

 I was SOOO excited to take a tour of Roycemore in its new location!!!  I totally cried on January 3rd--the first day of school in the new building because I wanted to be there so badly :(  Luckily, I had already bought our plane tickets for the trip we just enjoyed, so I knew I could look forward to attending the first Palio in the new building :)  Jackson was excited to go visit Bampa at school, and we took this obligatory photo...

 and this one!  We have pictures of Larry and me in my dad's office behind his desk, so this just made sense :)

 On the first day of school, all of the kids got these shirts that Jackson was kind enough to model!  The front had the Roycemore emblem on it.

 The back said, "First day in our new home 01-03-2012" with the new address under it.

 I cannot believe how different (and AMAZING!) this building looks from the first times we saw it (Coming Soon to 1200 Davis Street, Tour of 1200 Davis St., and Roycemore is on the Move)!   Here is a list of my favorite things (in no particular order):

1) The main entryway!  In the old building, there were quite a few entrances (and here there are too, of course), but there wasn't really one entrance that was clearly The Main entrance...  Now, there is a clear main entrance, and when you come through the doors, you are entering the whole school with the option to head in whichever direction you would like.  Does that make sense?
2) The air conditioning!  It was so funny to see thermostats throughout the building!
3) The elevator!
4) The Early Childhood classrooms! WOW!  I am still super excited about Jackson's school for next year, but the Pre-Kindergarten, Junior Kindergarten, and Kindergarten rooms just blew me away the other day!  They are large, bright, welcoming, and totally kid friendly :)
5) The feel of the main office.  As a parent, I find myself looking around as a prospective parent before I look around as a teacher or alum.  I would be pleased to walk into the main office and wait in the sitting area, if necessary.  Again, this area is large, bright, and welcoming.
6) Even though the building is larger, I feel like things are closer together!  Isn't that weird?  There were three distinct wings of the old building, but I think it just seemed like a longer trek to go from one place to another or to have to trek up to the main office.  I think the assignment of rooms is just right :)
7) It goes without saying, but the brand-new gym is amazing!  The old gym will always hold a special place in our hearts, but this one is so much more functional (and impressive)!
8) The amount of parking, including an underground garage!  The car line for the Early Childhood program is even located underground--a real plus for parents!
9) Paint colors and storage!  Each classroom has one accent wall painted in one of five colors.  All of the colors give the rooms a homey feel.  There is a crazy amount of storage in each classroom between counterspace, upper and lower cabinets, and large cabinets.
10) The amount of natural sunlight!  The size and number of windows in this building are awesome!  The majority of the windows are floor to ceiling on all sides of the building--there is natural light everywhere you look!

Check out more fun lists at Top Ten Tuesday at Many Little Blessings!