PHOTOS: A Year After Steel, Avery Gets Ready to Open

Just a year ago, construction crews were putting up the steel supports for the new Avery Elementary School.

And now,  students are a bit more than two months away from their scheduled move from a 1920s building to a new $20 million-plus school that backs up to Dedham High School.

As part of a plan to get elementary kids acclimated before arriving, superintendent June Doe has organized tours for the children, given by 17 seniors.

The seniors received a tour of their own this week - the first group outside of school and town officials to see the inside of the school - and were blown away by new features such as a cafetorium (cafeteria and auditorium combined), and the school's gymnasium.

As school officials vie for Gold LEED Certification, Dedham Patch received a tour of the "penthouse" where the school's heating and cooling systems are located.

The state-of-the-art boilers and electrical systems utilize outside air, and are more efficient, according to school officials.