The sound of cardboard boxes opening resonated throughout the new Lehighton Area Elementary Center on Thursday morning.

As crews put the final month of touches on the building before its opening, teachers got their first chance to organize their classrooms.

Lehighton will open the school on Sept. 4 to all K-5 students in the district.

“Today is the first day teachers could begin moving into the classrooms,” Superintendent Jonathan Cleaver said.

“We completed our life safety inspection. A number of teachers are here today and there is a lot of excitement throughout the building. I know a lot of people want to come in and see it. We’ll be sending out notifications when we’ll be able to do that.”

The $33 million school replaces four elementary schools including Shull-David, Franklin, Mahoning and East Penn.

It will consist of five major areas. The “A” section will house grades 3-5, “B” will be home to the administration and health suites, “C” will be the K-2 wing, “D” will be the gymnasium and “E” will be the cafeteria.

Click here to see a photo gallery of the Lehighton Elementary Center.

“The two main areas being worked on right now are the gymnasium and cafeteria,” Cleaver said.

“We have a few more inspections to go there. Overall, I think this is a great facility. The educational opportunities are going to be tremendous.”

Cleaver pointed out unique parts of the building like a large group instruction area equipped with a pull-down projector screen.

He envisions students being able to Skype with family members who may be serving overseas or utilizing a host of educational programs made available by different agencies.

“NASA, for example, has a program where you can interact with astronauts aboard the International Space Station,” he said.

“There are a lot of opportunities here and as we toured the other elementary centers, these large-group instruction areas were very popular.”

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As teachers unpacked Thursday, many pointed out different qualities they enjoyed about their new digs.

“The first thing I noticed was how clean and bright it is in here,” said fifth-grade teacher Diane Schnell. “It really looks awesome and we’re very excited to start.”

Fellow fifth-grade teacher Jeannie Weiss picked up on a different bonus.

“We have a lot of storage space and that is very nice,” she said.

Weiss and Schnell won’t just be adapting to a building change. Fifth grade is moving from the middle school back into an elementary building.

“I do like everyone being together,” Weiss said. “There are a lot of things in fourth grade that might impact fifth grade and to be able to talk to those teachers easily is a big plus. It’s great to have everyone together. I think it’s just a matter of everybody getting used to it.”

The K-2 office staff alignment includes Aaron Sebelin as principal, James Blakeslee as guidance counselor and Karen Shaffer and Lori Porambo as main office secretaries.

At the 3-5 level, Mark McGalla will serve as principal with Deborah Lindh as guidance counselor and Kristin Simmons and Debra Lilly as main office secretaries.

Coleen Harleman, Lori German and Deana Blasiak are the nurses for the entire building, while Cynthia Kemmerer is the guidance/attendance secretary.