Presley Ashby couldn't believe her eyes.
"It's super big," the fifth grader marveled. "I think the students are really going to like it."
Ashby and a small group of honors chorus students were among the first to lay eyes on a rendering of the new Duncan Elementary School of the Arts, as Spartanburg District Five officially broke ground on the new campus Friday.
The 135,000-square-foot school will replace the current Duncan Elementary campus, located further down South Danzler Road and first built in 1968.
Surrounded by members of District Five's Board of Trustees, district leaders, local officials, students and Duncan Principal Dr. Marc Zachary, District Five Superintendent Dr. Randall Gary opened the ceremony by calling it "a historic day" for District Five.
"Duncan Elementary is our oldest school in District Five," Dr. Gary said. "The campus was built before the school was an arts school, so we've really designed this new school with the arts in mind. It's going to have cutting-edge sound systems, stages, performing areas and a dance studio, all things we don't have in our current school."
Following the remarks, district and school leaders joined students and community members in turning the first ceremonial shovels of dirt, officially marking the beginning of construction.
Duncan Elementary is the first of three major construction projects funded through District Five's $200 million bond referendum, approved by voters in November 2025. The projects will help the district address continued enrollment growth while also replacing aging facilities.
For Principal Dr. Marc Zachary, the new campus represents an investment that will serve Duncan students, families and the surrounding community for generations to come.
"When you come by the road here, you're really going to see how beautiful the school is," Dr. Zachary said. "I think it's going to be a jolt in the arm for our community."
And for Presley, Friday was about more than seeing what her future school will look like. It was a chance to be part of its beginning.
"Everybody is going to be a big part of this," she said. "It's going to be really special for everybody."