East Orange, NJ (July 21, 2005) - East Orange School District and New Jersey Schools Construction Corporation (SCC) held a beam-signing to mark the progress of construction of the new Langston Hughes Elementary School. Students, officials and residents signed their names on a steel beam before it was hoisted into place to become a permanent part of the $20.5 million school.

The 92,146-square-foot school for 515 pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade students will replace the existing Langston Hughes School on an adjacent site. The new school is scheduled for completion in August 2006; the old school, which dates back to 1925, then will be used as swing space.

The project is being fully funded and managed by the SCC. The architect is NJ K-12, LLC. VRH Construction is building the school under the supervision of Don Todd Associates, the project management firm.