Get a look inside Lincoln’s new Zoo School building

There is a lot of construction happening at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo, bringing more space and animals to Lincoln’s favorite attraction.

But it’s also bringing more educational opportunities for Lincoln students with a brand new building for LPS’s science focus program.

“This facility will be a huge step forward in our ability to deliver this science program to students in LPS,” Kurt Glathar, principal of the science focus program said.

The building, located at the zoo, houses 15,000 square feet of space for LPS students, and additional space shared with the zoo.

It cost the district $3.2 million dollars and includes three labs, many classrooms and multi-purpose facilities.

It’s a huge upgrade from the space the school has right now, which is only 4,500 square feet and aging rapidly,” Scott Weiskamp, director of operations for LPS said.

“It will give them access to space that gives them better maneuverability to do experiments and labs and those types of things,” Weiskamp said. “We now have three fully functioning labs in this building that they barely have access to currently.”

But the physical building is only a small part of their classroom, they use the entire zoo.

“We work with the program, with the zoo, the flora, the fauna, the animals,” Gathar said. “To be able to go to the sunken gardens, to use any of this space here for science education is pretty amazing.”

Which Gathar said allows the roughly 100 students to learn hands–on in an environment that couldn’t be better suited for doing just that.

“When we cut that ribbon it’s going to be an exciting day for Lincoln,” John Chapo, CEO and President of the zoo said. “Unprecedented, unheralded, a red letter day for Lincoln.”

There is no set finish date but hoping for this spring so this year’s seniors have a chance to get inside, but said it will be done by the fall at the latest.