Leander ISD’s newest school North Elementary welcomes students on first day

“We really want to partner with the community and really build a place where our community feels welcomed and inclusive,” she said.

Labbe-Maginel served in both Austin and Pflugerville ISDs in various classroom, campus and district roles before serving as principal at Knowles Elementary School in LISD for the past eight years. Now the principal at North, she said everyone came together and “turned a dream into reality.”

Design, construction and furnishings for North Elementary were funded through the 2017 voter-approved bond package. One unique design element is all of the classrooms at North have windows between them that allow teachers to collaborate, Labbe-Maginel said. The campus also has neighborhood space, so hallways are larger and include furniture, which allows teachers to plan collaborative activities with students.

Although LISD is experiencing some teacher and staff shortages, North is fully staffed, Labbe-Maginel said. Teachers came from both outside and inside of the district to teach at North.

Labbe-Maginel said they are excited to be a part of this campus.

“We’re just super excited to be a part of this community and build a culture and traditions that are going to impact students for many, many years to come,” she said. “The staff here is super motivated and we just want to get to know the community and partner with everyone.”