School to host open house for parents Published Feb. 12, 2014 By Airman 1st Class Dylan Nuckolls 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- The Bitburg Elementary School will hold an open house Feb. 14 for parents and students affected by the Spangdahlem Elementary School relocation. The open house starts at 3:00 p.m. and will allow parents and students to tour the facility and meet the staff. "At the last town hall meeting, parents expressed concern about the location of the elementary and middle schools in Bitburg as the new campus will need to utilize part of the middle school, too," said Joe Masters, BES principal, and Richard Alix, SES principal in a joint statement. "Parents and students will see that the middle school and the elementary school share the same campus. We believe that this open house will alleviate concerns that were expressed at the town hall meeting." Starting school year 2014-2015, all elementary students will attend BES, allowing the renovation and additional construction to SES. Department of Defense Education Activity and 52nd Fighter Wing leadership cited the move as an element of Spangdahlem's expansion project and it serves as an important step for the schools during the ongoing transition of the Bitburg Annex back to the German people in the coming years. "We are hoping that giving the opportunity for parents to bring their children to see the school that there won't be a fear of the unknown - they will have an idea of what it is they will be getting into," said Chi Anne McGrew, 52nd Mission Support Group school liaison officer. "They will be able to see the school, see what's already there, and [hopefully the open house] will be a little more reassuring and less frightening for them as we move forward with the relocation and consolidation of our schools."