Brookland, AR – JonesboroRightNow.com – Brookland Public Schools (BPS) faculty and students gathered Friday afternoon for a topping off ceremony of the district’s newest building.
The ceremony celebrated the district’s intermediate building, an 83,000 square foot building that will house the district’s 750 third and fourth-grade students. It will also have special education spaces, a media center, a cafeteria, and a multi-use gym doubling as a storm shelter. A new playground will be installed adjacent to the building.
| READ MORE: New Brookland intermediate school ‘starting to take shape,’ on track for 2026 opening
During a topping off ceremony, a building’s final beam is installed, generally signifying the structure’s completion. The beam was signed by BPS second and third graders, who will be the first students to use the building, as well as BPS faculty, staff, and school board members.
As the beam was lifted into place, students continuously chanted “Brookland Bearcats!”
“I’m so excited for you to see this new building behind us,” BPS superintendent George Kennedy told students in attendance. “You have put your names on this beam; this beam will be here as long as we can imagine. One day, when you’re an adult with kids, you’ll be able to bring your child here and say, ‘My name is in here somewhere.'”
The two-story building, which is set to open in time for the 2026-2027 school year, comes as a response to an increased need for more space for students, as enrollment numbers have been on the rise since 2022. School officials broke ground on the building in March 2025.
Justin Shrable, project executive at Nabholz, said the project was special to him, as he had a second-grade student enrolled in BPS. Nabholz is managing the project.
“I’ve got a second grader that’s gonna be one of the first students in your class with y’all,” Shrable told students. “First time I’ve gotten to build a building that my kids are mainly going to use. It’s a cool deal.”
Kennedy told JRN crews would work to install the building’s walls soon, and that “things would start flying,” regarding the building’s construction.
“We’re very glad to be able to provide this for the district,” Kennedy said. “I think it’ll be a popular thing for everybody.”
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