MILLEDGEVILLE – Teachers at Milledgeville’s school have more control of their classroom environment, and students are liking the new and improved climate.

Chadwick-Milledgeville Schools completed a $6.5 mllion renovation and upgrade project at its high school and elementary building in late August, and had an open house Thursday to show off its new look and feel.

It included the replacement of all 148 windows; remodels of classrooms, the main office and the library; an elevator; new geothermal heating and air conditioning for the entire building, doors, flooring and dropped ceilings; and electrical equipment upgrades. Final touches, including completion of an art room, are scheduled to be complete by January.

Tyler Stepp remembers those hot, muggy days last year in second grade where learning became a great challenge.

“I was wishing I could get water all the time,” he said.

He doesn’t have to worry about having that feeling again, thanks to more manageable climate control throughout the building, especially in Amanda Kent’s third grade classroom.

“It’s like when you put lots of ice in a bathtub, and you jump in,” said Tyler, 8.

The school’s climate was on full display Thursday. While not much has changed in overall design, teachers and parents enjoyed the feel of on-demand room temperatures.

The new temperature adjustment panel in high school social studies teacher Heidi Moe’s room, which is next to a dehumidifer control, read 68 degrees Thursday, and she hopes it stays there.

“There are no words to describe how much better of a learning environment it is,” Moe said. “When it’s humid or a hot day, our kids are so thankful for this.”

“We’re not sticking to our desks anymore.”

Windows in most classrooms had only been about 1 foot tall by 3 feet wide, but the new glass rises up several feet and allows more sunlight to brighten each room, with some tint toward the top.

Kent said that more sunlight leads to more positivity in the classroom, as opposed to dark and dreary feelings. She’s a big fan of the new climate system as well.

“It’s a lot easier when they come in from those hot P.E. classes and recesses,” she said. “They can cool down a lot easier because it’s already a controlled temperature in here.”

Preston Siperly, 8, accompanied his father, Curt, to his new-look classroom. The event also served as the school’s annual parent-teacher meet-and-greet, and both parents and students filled out quizzes on students’ favorite things. Kids filled out a form, and then had parents flip the paper around to answer the same questions to see if they matched.

“The air conditioning is a big improvement for the kids. It gets them to study a little more comfortably,” Curt said. “I remember sitting in here when I was a kid just sweating.”

The elevator can fit 15 people, and is utilized when those who visit the school check in at the main office on the second floor. Its space replaced a stairwell that sent people to the gymnasium; those wanting to go to the gym from the main entrance can either use the elevator or walk around to a nearby set of stairs to reach the second level.

Principal Brian Maloy’s favorite part of the project is the enlarged high school library. It’s ceiling was raised 4 feet and windows were enlarged to reach the top. It also has a new carpet tile floor, two smart boards, an overhead projector, and his favorite addition: natural light.

The elementary school library will merge into the high school one next year.

“It’s a better learning environment because it’s climate controlled,” Maloy said. “We have better air exchange, and it’s hard for a kid to learn when it’s 100 degrees in a classroom. Now, we don’t have to have that problem.”