Minnehaha Elementary School Unveils Renovations

TWO HARBORS, Minn. — A $44-million renovation of Two Harbors’ Minnehaha Elementary is now complete.

The project was all about helping modernize the school’s facilities and restructuring the building’s layout.

Technology, furniture, floors, ceilings, and security have all gotten upgrades.

The school’s library is now front and center and creative spaces are enhanced, like the new “cafetorium” for student performances. It’s a stage within the cafeteria.

“For a student to learn, they need to feel like their needs are met,” said Brett Archer, the principal of Minnehaha Elementary School. “They need to feel safe. They need to have light, and they need to feel comfortable in their setting. So a lot of the changes have made it a much more comfortable place for students, and a safer place. And I think that in itself makes a child more ready to learn.”

Minnehaha principal says, being able to witness the students reaction to the new changes makes it all worth it.

“This was a two year project that tackled while they were going to school,” said Archer. “And so each fall when they came back there was new changes. And you literally see them standing outside the door big groups of kids waiting to come in, and as they came in their eyes were pretty wide taking in the changes. One little guy at the cafeteria told me it was the best day ever.”

An open house was available on Thursday night for anybody in the community who wants to check out the updated school.