Ironwood students settle into K-12 setting at Luther L. Wright

IRONWOOD - With nearly three weeks of school under their belts, students at Luther L. Wright School in Ironwood are feeling comfortable with their surroundings.

It marks the first time LLW is a K-12 school, after kindergarten through first grade students made the move over from Sleight Elementary.

A few classroom changes, students being moved up a floor or two, and a new bus lane have allowed the transition to proceed smoothly, according to school district leaders.

Students in Michelle Trier's second grade class spoke highly of the "big school," after spending last year as first graders at Sleight.

"I like this school because of the cool classrooms," Daniel Tibaldo said.

For Dylan DeRosso, his favorite part is the "better playground."

As for Olivia Vandenburg, it's all about who she meets in the hallways. "I like it because I get to meet new friends," she said.

According to Trier, the move has allowed her to use new things in her classroom, including other students.

Recently, Trier's class teamed up with the other second grade classes, taught by Tony Bunt and Rachel Boyd, for an art, history and writing project on Patriot Day. Elementary students worked with high school students in the JROTC program to create a memorial to honor the anniversary of 9/11.

Students painted flags, created murals, wrote stories and designed the Twin Towers out of paper to be hung in the hallway.

For Trier, the project showcased what the move to LLW meant for staff, including better communication and easier collaborations.

"The project turned out so cool," she said.

"We were able to use a larger space for four different classes, and we would not have been able to do that before," Trier said.