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Students at Meadow Hall Elementary School will be greeted Monday by the sight of a new gymnasium, while students at Redland Middle School will begin their academic year to the sounds of construction.

But the renovation will be music to their ears.

After years of advocating for upgrades at Redland in Derwood, parents and staff finally saw construction begin at the school in June, Redland Principal Robert Sinclair Jr. said.

"It's been incredible to watch it begin and start to take shape," he said of the project, which has a construction budget of $12.5 million.

Key elements of the project include renovating the science labs; relocating the administrative and guidance suite to the front of the building and turning the old office into new classrooms; improving the mechanical and electrical systems; putting in new ceilings and flooring; and extending all partial walls to the ceiling.

Redland, which opened in 1971, has an open floor plan and walls in classrooms do not run the length of the room or as high as the ceiling.

James Song, director of the Montgomery County Public Schools Division of Construction, said in an e-mail message to The Gazette that all work should be completed by August 2011.

So far, construction crews have enclosed walls in the media center and computer lab while adding new lighting, flooring, ceilings and ventilation, Sinclair said. That work was expected to be finished earlier this week.

Work is now under way on the sixth-grade hallway and science classrooms in the front of the building. The labs will be brought up to date and the hallway will be converted into a new main office, which will provide additional security, Sinclair said. Both projects are slated for completion by the end of winter break.

When students return in January, the back half of the building will be closed for renovations and will not be done until the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year, Sinclair said

Since students will continue to attend classes while construction is occurring, they will be shifted around during the school year. The school has 13 portable trailers, 11 of which are new.

When students return Monday, Sinclair said staff will lead them on a tour of the building. He added he will do his best to make sure everyone feels comfortable in the altered facility.

"Flexibility is going to be the word of the year," Sinclair said. "We're going to try to get everyone what they need with the understanding that there's a lot going on here."

In Rockville, workers at Meadow Hall Elementary School are putting the finishing touches on the new gym, which will be ready by Monday, Song said.

Planning for the project began in July 2006 with construction starting in September 2008. The gymnasium is approximately 8,199 square feet, which includes the main playing floor, an office, four storage rooms and a lobby area with restrooms.

The project cost $2.3 million, which includes a $300,000 contribution from the City of Rockville, Song said. Rockville's donation allowed the school system to build a slightly larger gym, which in return allows the city to use it for events.