Students start class at the brand new St. John's Catholic School

Sharon Terfehr has been at St. John's Catholic School for more than 20 years, but today is different. Her 5th graders are walking into a brand new building.

TEACHER: "Everything's new; it smells new, kids are excited."

The paint is hardly dry for these preschool through 6th graders. The new digs are a long time coming. Students in this school had been in the same building since 1928.

PRINCIPAL: "Our teachers never had a break room to go to before. We didn't have a work room, we just had different tools and things that different teachers needed kind of scattered throughout the building."

TEACHER: "It's cleaner just because of the newness. It's quieter even because of flooring; don't have the old wood floors that echo."

There are major changes from the old place across the street and endless electronic possibilities.

SARA: "Now we get brand new full size locker. We don't have to share them or switch them like every month."

JORDAN: "I like the windows a lot! In the old school, you couldn't really see out of them at all."

TEACHER: "Everything's wired for SmartBoards and so we'd be ready for that."

Thanks to fundraising from the diocese, donations and pledges, a new chapter in this school's book.

PRINCIPAL: "We're still a Catholic school; we still find Christ the center of this school as we did at the other school. So none of that's changed, but we're all just a little perkier and a little more excited to walk through the halls."

It is a change that educators and learners have been waiting for patiently. They did save something from the old place. The playground equipment is from the old school.

Tags: your city, stephanie goetz, k-12 education, st johns, religion, wahpeton, news, terfehr