Moving Day: Teachers unpack at new St. Joseph High School

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Friday was moving day at the new St. Joseph High School in South Bend.

The first day of school is less than two weeks away.

ABC 57 News got a look inside the new digs and talked with teachers and students as they eagerly unpacked.

Teachers like Brian Dolezul are busy unpacking boxes and unloading supplies.

"In the old building, we were on the third floor and a tolerable day would be 95 degrees, and um, it would get pretty brutal up there,” said Dolezul, a chemistry teacher and alum.

Dolezal is more than thankful for the upgrade to an air conditioned building, but he said it wasn't easy packing up and moving on.

"[There were] a lot of sad goodbyes, but then you come here, and man, this place is amazing."

Dolezul played football and graduated from the old high school in 1972. He also taught there for 21 years.

"My old classroom was the room where we would go and watch game films."

And how cool is this?

"I worked here, when it was a hospital. In fact, I was born here, my dad was a physician here, and I met my wife here!"

He said no other place could feel more at home.

While teachers like Dolezul are busy settling in, students are helping out. On Friday, a group unpacked boxes in the library.

"I have to be honest, I was really excited to come and see the new school, so I jumped at the chance to come and help,” said senior Alexa Tupper.

Senior Alexa Tupper and other students got a sneak peak of the school, the smell of fresh paint, and the warmth of natural light.

"A couple of my friends are jealous that I’m here right now."

Many said they're excited about the technology, like an automatic water bottle filler. Each student will also get their own laptop.

"It’s going to be a lot of fun, I think. Because you know, we're going to screw up. And make some mistakes, and the kids are going to laugh at us. And they’re going to realize how stupid some of us are with the technology and all that."

Dolezal said there's still a lot of work to do. He'll be busy organizing his chemistry lab while construction workers wrap up the final touches.

“It'll be a little bit hectic, and all of that, um, but I’ve got a good game plan. So we'll hit the ground running.”

The first home football game isn't until next month, but orientation starts Aug. 28, and on Aug. 30, the bells will ring.