BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- Things haven't been normal for MacArthur Elementary students and staff since June 2010. That was before Tropical Storm Lee destroyed their old building on Vestal Avenue.
For the past four years since, students have been split up between two different makeshift schools.
"Being the traveling principal, having half of my staff and students in one building and then the other half in the other building -- having not to be together as an entire staff, that I think is the biggest challenge,” said MacArthur Principal Maria McIver.
But now, after years of planning and construction, input from the community, teachers and students, their brand-new school is ready to open.
"It's been a long time. I mean, it really has,” said McIver. "So we are all looking forward to it, people are really excited to get back in here. Some rooms are actually set up already, that's how motivated our teachers are."
McIver says when she first walked in the school, it was like when Dorothy first saw Oz, but the reaction that really matters is that of a kid.
"Their expressions when they walked in and they saw me, they're like, 'Ms. McIver, look at this!' " she said. "And it just gets you energized and really happy for them."
The school is built with sustainability in mind, from solar panels on the roofs to the stilts, that offer both future flood protection and a place for students to play in rainy weather.
"This is about providing a place where these young kids can learn," said Ed McGraw of Ashley McGraw Architects, who designed the building. "I think this building knits together the community and provides the kind of educational space that doesn't exist very many places."
There's even a little piece of the old school in the steel beams of the amphitheatre outside -- a reminder of the past for the future.