It was back to school for a lot of students Monday, including Loudon High School. However, it wasn't a normal first day and Local 8 News Anchor Lauren Davis shows us the students were met by hammers and hard hats as the school constructs a new wing.

 Loudon County is getting a brand new 6 and a half million dollar addition. They're adding 17 new classrooms including a new band room; a science suite with two labs and four classrooms; a culinary arts suite with a kitchen, classroom and dining room; and new art room.
Construction Manager Charles Underwood says, "We're proud of what we're doing."

Right now things are so cramped you can see the students packed inside the current culinary classroom. Students are forced to learn in 2 portable trailers with 4 classrooms, and five teachers floating without a classroom at all. So the new additions are welcomed. Loudon High School Principal Cheri Parrish says, "We're most excited about bringing 1966 science rooms into modern day."

For now on the first day back everyone is having to dodge the mess.

Students were concerned about parking. Parrish says, "They were Tweeting about where they were gonna park, and they weren't even worried about their schedules."

Parking wasn't a problem and neither was traffic Monday morning.

Construction crews worked 7 days a week for the last month to get ready for kids to come back. The school knows to just be patient because a better school is around the corner. Underwood says, "The school has been great. They bent over backwards. They've been a good group to work with."

Parrish says, "For first day of school, I can't ask for any better."

The new wing is expected to be done by March 2017.