A hundred smiling students walked through the gate for the first time at the new Murrumbateman Public School for a day that was more than 10 years in the making.
The community gathered for a smoking ceremony and official opening of the $38 million campus on Tuesday morning.
Inaugural principal Liz Beasley said she felt proud and privileged to lead the town's first school.
"It's an honour to do something like this and to establish this school and really think about what we need for education in this day and age and build something that's really unique for our community of Murrumbateman," Mrs Beasley said.
The two-storey building features flexible indoor and outdoor learning spaces opening onto a central landscaped playground and a separate hall.
The primary school has 103 students enrolled this year but can take up to 370 students.
The stage-based classes will be able to move freely between different zones in the classrooms: campfire for teacher or expert-led workshops, waterfall for collaborative activities, the cave for independent work and a hut for time out for self-regulation.
In developing the values and ethos of the school, the theme of a strong sense of community came through loud and clear.
Mrs Beasely said the school would be connected to other community groups, such as Landcare and the Men's Shed.
"Those people that have been rallying for the school, there's no agendas. They actually do it because they love Murrumbateman," she said.
One of the strongest supporters of the school was Yass Valley Councillor Mike Reid.
About 10 years ago he started a campaign with the Murrumbateman Progress Association to make the case for a school which would collectively save $2 million a year in bus fares to ACT schools.
A council-funded survey found half of the parents who were sending their children to private schools in Canberra would send them to a public school in the town.
"The department picked up the ball and the politicians realised that we really were not just a stable area, we were growing and council itself has projected that we will probably triple in size in the next 15-20 years," Councillor Reid said.
"There was a time when I think all of us that were involved would have been quite happy for a couple of portables and a little admin building somewhere ... But this is just amazing."
Member for Goulburn Wendy Tuckerman said the school was one of 14 being opened in NSW this year, including Googong Public School, Bungendore High School and Jerrabomberra High School.
"One of the fastest growing areas in the New South Wales state is right here in Murrumbateman and Yass Valley, and it's important that as a state government we're keeping up with that service delivery, the infrastructure that's needed," she said.
Families will have their morning routine transformed by having a school nearby.
Emma and Daniel Anderson made the decision to move their children, Nathaniel, 10, and Evangeline, 7, from Evatt Primary School to Murrumbateman Public School.
They'll be swapping the 7.30am school bus pick up and 4.30pm drop off for a four-minute drive.
It was hard to leave their old school but watching the new school be built has created excitement about the transition.
"For Murrumbateman, it's just fantastic to have a focal point for the community apart from sport and the pub, but a place that we can come together," Mrs Anderson said.
"I feel like Murrumbateman is a little village that's starting to grow and find a sense of identity. And this is a natural part of that," Mr Anderson said.
The parents formed a guard of honour and cheered as the students entered the school for the first time.
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