Van ISD new elementary rising from tornado rubble

​​VAN, VAN ZANDT COUNTY - ​​​Van Independent School District has broken ground on a replacement school for the J.E. Rhodes Elementary School demolished by an EF-3 tornado that tore through Van in May 2015.​​ 

The total cost of the new 65,000-sf building will be $15.5 million, to be paid with insurance money the district received for the damages.

The school is expected to open in fall 2017 and house pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and first-grade under one roof.

With the capacity to hold approximately 500 students, the rebuilt school will include a library, cafeteria, a gym and an outside courtyard that will function as an outdoor classroom as well as a place for students to eat lunch.

Since the tornado caused widespread damage to schools, homes and other structures in Van, Rhodes Elementary students are attending what was Van Intermediate School. Van Intermediate School students now occupy portable buildings known as "Little Vandal Village." ​