The school year is set to end in less than a week, but that is not the only reason students were smiling Monday morning at Ring Lardner Middle School.

The end of the school year also marks the beginning of several major construction projects taking place throughout the Niles Community Schools district.

On Monday, school officials and construction project leaders gathered for a pair of groundbreaking ceremonies hosted at Howard-Ellis Elementary School and Ring Lardner Middle School.

The two buildings are in the process of receiving work as part of a $40 million bond initiative approved by voters in the spring of 2015. Although work on Howard-Ellis and Ring Lardner began last month, Monday’s groundbreaking served as the ceremonial start of the construction process.

Supt. Dan Applegate thanked the community for supporting the school system and said the improvements would be critical in ensuring that Niles’ students remain competitive with their peers.

“It certainly is an exciting time… With the average age of our schools at 60, all of our buildings were long overdue for an overhaul,” he said. “Thanks to the community’s support, we can begin our evolution, giving our children the tools they need to thrive in an environment that is conducive for learning.”

Howard Elementary, which was built in 1952, will receive approximately $5.5 million worth of work, including new classrooms, a new gymnasium and other upgrades throughout the building. Currently, Howard-Ellis operates as two separate buildings with kindergarten and first-grade students at Ellis and second- through fifth-grade students at Howard.

The new Howard-Ellis building will house kindergarten through fifth grade students. The Ellis building will be closed, but not razed as school officials determine what to do with the structure.

Ring Lardner Middle School, which was built in 1964, is set to receive approximately $4.9 million worth of work, including an addition with four new classrooms and upgrades throughout the building.

“Our hope is that you will not recognize the school once renovations are complete, but you will recognize the value of the investment in these changes,” said Ring Lardner Principal Doug Langmeyer.

Howard-Ellis and Ring Lardner are two of four buildings scheduled to receive improvements this spring as part of the first phase of the bond project. Ballard Elementary and Eastside Connections are also part of phase one. The school board is expected to award construction contracts for Ballard and Eastside in the near future.

Work on the remaining buildings — Niles High, Northside, Oak Manor and Southside — is scheduled to start in the spring of 2017 as part of phase two.

School board president Greg O’Toole said the effect of the improvements would extend far beyond the walls of the schools.

“A community is only as strong as its schools,” he said. “Providing our students with the resources they need to succeed, including an inviting environment that fosters academic, social and personal growth, is essential to the future success of the Niles community.”