Students and administrators at Eudora Middle School were busy putting their golden shovels to use on Friday afternoon during the groundbreaking ceremony for the school’s new addition.

The construction, which is set to begin next week, marks the beginning of the $3 million addition to the school. As part of the latest $45 million bond issue for the district, this expansion is just one small step as the district continues to move forward. “We’re going to be looking at innovative ways of educating our children, which includes technology,” said EMS Principal Richard Proffitt. “This facility is just providing us a way to do that.”

The new building will include classrooms for sixth-grade students, as well as additional learning space for seventh- and eighth-grade students.

Barring any setbacks, construction on the latest district improvements is set to wrap up in 2009.