In Lackawanna County, students and parents of the Fell Charter School celebrated Wednesday plans to build a brand new facility in Simpson.
The school was given more than $6 million by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the new building.
For students at the Fell Charter School in Lackawanna County, it was definitely a day to be cheerful.
This will be the last year children will spend at St. Bazil's in Carbondale and finally get a brand new school of their own.
"When I used to be in other schools, I loved them and they were great, but I think it'd be really nice to have a new building," said fifth grader Kristina Gorel.
The school, which was founded 10 years ago in Simpson, has had its share of up and downs.
Using several different spaces over the years to teach its curriculum, the need for a new school was always looming.
Parents said they never gave up because they wanted to stick with the kind of education they thought was best for their children.
"Fell reaches a little bit outside of the box, it gives our children more of a global perspective of things. It's just not so cut and dry, and it's fun, and I think the community sees that," said founding parent Rachel Gorel.
The $6 million for the new school comes from a federal loan by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The loans will help boost rural development all across Pennsylvania, and it will also give the more than hundred Fell Charter students a final place to call home.
The new building will cover 18,000 square feet, and have 14 new classrooms, with a new cafeteria and a new music room. It should be complete by the fall of 2013.
"This is just the gravy on top, because we'll be able to do so much more for our students and provide them with the facility they deserve," added Gorel.
The new building will go up in Simpson, where the old building once stood.
Construction is set to begin in the next few months.