DUBLIN, Ga. — This August, Laurens County will add two new schools to their district.
The two new schools include East Laurens High School and West Laurens Middle School.
Alisha New has three kids that will attend Laurens County Schools.
"I have a fourth-grader right now and she's already talking about going to the new school and wondering what it looks like," New said.
New also teaches in the school district. She says as a teacher, you want the most-productive space for your students to work in.
"I think just as a community, we are so excited for the new East Laurens High and West Laurens Middle. These are beautiful schools," New said.
Clifford Garnto, the Superintendent for Laurens County Schools, says both schools were in desperate need of more space.
"We shared a lunchroom and a media center with the middle school. Now, East Laurens High will have its own lunchroom and media center," Garnto said.
Some of the improvements for the high school include new science labs, the vocational end will get new equipment, and there will be a brand-new stadium.
For the middle school, new athletic facilities, and they'll be able to involve more of the community with the added space. That's something Lee Collins, the Principal of East Laurens High, is excited about.
"The community defines itself with the school and the school does the same thing. It defines itself by a community that's invested," Collins said.
Another big update is safety.
Reed Waldrep, the Principal at West Laurens Middle School, said, "At the old school, our students had to change classes a lot outdoors, so there was a lot of moving outside the building -- from a safety standpoint, kind of alarming," Waldrep said.
There will be an open house for the community at both schools Sunday, August 7. The first day of school for Laurens County students is August 9.