- February 18, 2026
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Barb Siffermann knows the feeling that some of her fellow teachers at Tara Elementary School are now experiencing.
It was in August, 2024, when Siffermann, the school's music teacher, returned from summer break to be overjoyed at the look of her new-and-improved music room.
She remembered screaming and jumping up and down.
Tara Elementary had just begun a three-year, campus-wide renovation that is now nearing completion. For Siffermann’s room, it included new carpet, fresh paint, and a new shared bathroom with the art department.
He music room also had new insulation along with some new equipment.
“It has been so much easier to teach,” Siffermann said. “Not only is it beautiful, but the sound quality is better, the technology is better, and the children are able to focus more. I'm also hearing that people don't hear everything I'm doing — like drumming — in the hallways.”
Siffermann, who has taught at Tara for 12 years, is not only overjoyed about the renovations in her room, but also the ones all across the campus.
The $31.4 million renovation began in June 2023 and was designed by Sweet Sparkman Architecture and Interiors and built by Creative Contractors.
Renovations included the merging of Building 1 and Building 2, upgrades to the offices, cafeteria, music and art classrooms, and relocating the playgrounds. Restrooms were added into every classroom that didn’t previously have them for both safety and so the students would not lose instructional time.
“Projects of this scale on an active campus require planning, flexibility, and close partnership,” said Josh Bomstein, president and CEO of Creative Contractors, in a press release. “We are proud of our work to significantly upgrade Tara Elementary and grateful for the support and collaboration from the principal, teachers, and district leaders, who helped us keep students safe while ensuring we were able to deliver this project with excellence.”
Amy Teta, a second grade teacher, said she was teaching in a portable while construction was ongoing. That meant longer walks for the students to get to classes such as music and art, as well as the cafeteria.
“During those times, it was great brain breaks for the kids,” Teta said. “You could do a nature walk or practice spelling words. You could do something along the way to and fro, but maneuvering through the fences and construction crews, that was challenging.”
Principal Laura Campbell said it was a collective effort to be sure that safety was the first priority. She said the school and construction workers were tactful in every phase of construction and they made sure staff members and families knew what improvements were being made and what to expect.
Teta said being displaced from her classroom gave her an opportunity to get rid of “educational junk” that she otherwise might have hoarded. She has been a teacher at Tara for 24 years and in her current classroom for nine years.
“I've been here for so long, and I remember the way the old classrooms looked,” Teta said. “Even the smell of a building, when you would walk into it toward the end, it all smelled a little bit like a locker room. Coming into a fresh, open, clean space was nice.”
Campbell said the school's staff put a lot of thought into what colors would present a modern campus while also providing a bright and cheery space.
Ronan Krogh, a fourth grader, remembered what the school looked like prior to renovations. One change thing in particular stood out.
“The new colors don’t make the school look so dull,” Krogh said. “I'm welcomed and relaxed and like, ‘Yes, today's going to be great.’”
Campbell said key renovations for the cafeteria included taking out a divider in the middle that previously split the room in two, building a bigger stage for performances and allowing cafeteria workers and students to see each other instead of being separated by a wall.
“Four of my houses could fit in the size of the cafeteria,” second grader Theo Light said.
“That (the cafeteria) is where everyone comes together,” Campbell said.
She said all the colors in each of the buildings on campus are included within the design of the cafeteria.
"There's a lot of school pride there," she said.
Light said he only has heard about a physical education field at the school, but since he only is in second grade, he never had seen it due to the construction. Fortunately for him, the field is the last step of the renovation to be completed and should be finished by the end of February.
Campbell said Linda Haluska, the physical education teacher, deserves an award for her patience because she was the first one to give up her space and the last one to get it back.
Through the renovations, the field is where construction equipment and machinery was stored. Due to this, Tara’s running club, and soccer and football clubs haven’t been an option since the project began.
“I'm so thankful (construction is over), because physical education is such an important part of the curriculum,” Haluska said. “It's so important that the kids get out and exercise and have team sportsmanship.”
“It’s lifted everybody’s spirits to be quite honest,” Siffermann said. “It was a lot to go through with fencing up and certain areas we weren’t allowed to go walk. Now that everyone is in their new space, people are happier and the kids are learning better.”
