By Lillian Donahue | December 18, 2019

After four years of planning and construction, the Charleston County School District is holding a dedication ceremony for the new Matilda F. Dunston Elementary school building Wednesday.

The new 77,000 square-foot building brings more space for students.

It also includes two computer labs so students can use computers while others may be testing.

Principal Cheryl Savage said she's excited for how the space can be utilized in new ways.

"This building is the future,” Savage said. “It's the future for the community and for our parents. We can now have a lot more events here. We can have community members come in and do a lot more with our children."

This year the school is housing Kindergarten through 4th grade. Next year, those students will make up the 5th-grade class.

During construction, Savage said the project would not have been completed so smoothly without the patience of teachers and staff.

"They never complained when there was something that wasn't working in their classroom because it wasn't ready or it wasn't put in their classroom yet,” Savage said. “they work so hard for the children and everybody here is like family and I think the staff is what makes this school what it is."

Around 100 community members and city leaders are expected at Wednesday’s dedication ceremony at 10 a.m.