FORT SILL, Okla. Sept. 3, 2015 -- When Dax Viscarra heard the United States Ambassador of Saudi Arabia was coming to the ribbon cutting ceremony for Freedom Elementary School, he was excited.
"He knew his grandfather fought in Saudi Arabia," said Sarah Viscarra, Dax's mother.
Dax, who normally dons something with a camouflage pattern, was among the hundreds of Freedom Elementary School students wearing either red, white or blue in attendance for the ceremony Aug. 27 celebrating the new $45 million learning facility.
"This is the most modern elementary school in America and it's on a military base. What you are seeing here at Freedom Elementary School on Fort Sill, we are going to see all around America probably 10 years from now," said Senator Jim Inhofe. "This is the example people are going to use."
He and Ambassador Joseph Westphal secured the funding to build the school using the Defense Authorization Bill.
"It's more than just classrooms. It's really about the ability to teach special education; to help counsel students. It's also the environment in which teachers have to be proud of where they work. This needs to be the model and we need to go up from here," said Westphal.
Infhofe explained the genesis of the name for the school happened because of a debate about having live ranges in areas where people lived. The person he was debating described noise complaints from residents and then asked Inhofe how he would like a live range in the state of Oklahoma.
"I said let me tell you about Fort Sill and I talked about how round the clock, 24 hours a day, seven days a week everyone rejoices in the noise that they hear and we call it in Oklahoma the 'sound of freedom' and hence we have Freedom Elementary School."
Gov. Mary Fallin described the school as a symbol of Oklahoma's future success.
"Great schools make strong communities; and great schools change lives; and great schools make for a strong nation and that's why this school is so very, very important."
The new facility replaced Sheridan and Geronimo Road Elementary schools after an Armywide study revealed Fort Sill as one of the posts needing new educational buildings for military children.
Dr. Tom Deighan, Lawton Superintendent of Schools asked the young audience, "Have you ever imagined anything? I know that's all you do -- you imagine things. I want to tell you there's a person in this room who probably has the greatest imagination. He imagined this building. He (dreamed) it up in his mind, every detail. From the driveways, to the classrooms, to the cool walls you get to write on that are in the hallway."
Deighan was talking about former LPS superintendent Barry Beauchamp who was in attendance. Beauchamp saw it built from the ground up over the past 28 months.
Freedom Elementary School can hold 1,300 students inside its large corridors complete with computer labs, a multimedia room and storm shelters.
There are currently three wings inside the building with a fourth wing in the works for pre-kindergarden age children.
Construction is set to be completed in August 2016.
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