Springfield Public Schools will host a ribbon cutting at Horace Mann Elementary for a new storm shelter

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – Horace Mann City Hall will host a ribbon cutting Thursday to celebrate the opening of their new storm shelter.

The multipurpose space isn’t just for storm shelters though, it’s a space for a gym, gathering place and more.

“All of our students have a full-sized gym to participate in activities, versus about half of what they used to do, and then we’re able to schedule our classes around lunchtime, versus five minutes to prepare lunch and five minutes for lunch breaks every day,” said Courtney Ellis, director of Horace Mann.

Shawn Dilday, executive director of operations for SPS, says the space was designed for many uses.

“Of course, we have a gym where all the kids in the building can be in this space. They are designed for tornado safe rooms, gym or stage space is equipped for our special classrooms. It’s either music or art, and then the space is also used for physical education,” Dilday said.

Ellis says this space was desperately needed to accommodate the more than 400 students Mann serves.

“We’ve already hosted a storm drill here where all our students were able to fit with space to spare, which was incredible because in our old cafeteria there wasn’t enough room for everyone to sit in an assembly without having to really crush and couldn’t get through them. So it’s very versatile that way,” Ellis said.

Dilday says the space is also crucial for children’s education.

“The space is very important to the education of the kids, anytime there are activities in the building, this building couldn’t accommodate all the classes in one space, so this gives them a space where the whole building can come together,” Dilday said.

The project was paid for through 2023 bond project funds. Dilday said they decided on a multi-purpose space to best use those funds.

“So the purpose of the multipurpose space is to use the space and the funds as well as possible. We know we have to build storm shelters, and if you’re going to have a large space, you also use it for gyms and multi-purpose rooms for students to use,” Dilday said.

Ellis says she’s looking forward to seeing students using the space.

“I’m looking forward to our first gathering in September because a lot of the things we do at the gatherings haven’t been able to be very interactive because you’re in such a tight space,” Ellis said. “The opportunities we have to be able to engage students in those opportunities are exciting.”

Dilday says it’s exciting to see SPS grow.

“The growth in Springfield schools is tremendous. We have great support from our community. Our community task force recognizes the needs of the school district and the support has been tremendous for the school district. The projects we’re responsible for, with the bond funds, we’re moving projects forward,” Dilday said.

Ellis says the students are just as excited about the new space.

“On Monday we had our first storm drill and on the way out one of the kids stopped me and said, Mrs. Ellis, what do you think of the gym? And I said, well, that’s really cool. And they said, I just can’t believe it’s ours. And just that genuine excitement from the students, that they’re excited to be given something like this to learn and be a part of,” Ellis said.

The storm shelter aspect of the space will be open to the public outside of school hours in the event of a storm.

The ribbon cutting is at Horace Mann on Thursday at 4:30 p.m.

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