Camden County students, staff happy to be back in newly renovated school building

CAMDEN COUNTY, N.J. - Summer is winding down and parents and their kids are trying to establish a back-to-school frame of mind, but Kipp Hatch Middle School, in Camden County, is seeing some 400 students eager and excited to hit the books.

The public charter school, now in its eighth year, is one of the first schools in the county to return to the classroom and they’re doing so in a newly renovated, historic Camden building.

Upgrades include brand-new floors and roof, a completely renovated auditorium and up-to-date teaching equipment.

School leader Travis Dempsy explained, "School was built in 1924 and we renovated it this year. It was about a $21 million renovation. New floors, state-of-the-art classrooms. The auditorium is refurbished, but kept the old charm."

Students are also encouraged to do well in school and attendance as they’ll be rewarded with a free trip to Six Flags in September.

6th grade history teacher, Anthony DeGannes, says he’s fired up for the new season of learning, "One thing I always push is you know better, you do better. So, the one thing is you gotta get kids to see that history is not boring."

Eighth grader, Marjhani Land says she’s excited for the new year because of the milestones she gets to experience. "It’s probably one of the biggest years…you get to graduate, go to prom, make decisions on what high school you get to go to and stuff like that."