POULSBO — Poulsbo Junior High’s extreme makeover is complete, now it’s time for the celebration. Wrapping up a $5.2 million renovation at PJH during the summer, the North Kitsap School District is inviting one and all everyone in the community to the school’s grand opening ceremony.

The ribbon cutting, speeches and subsequent tours all begin at 6 p.m. Thursday at PJH, across from North Kitsap High School off of Hostmark Street.

The project manager Dennis Burch, school board members, Supt. Gene Medina and the new PJH principal Matt Vandeleur will all be in attendance.

Not only did the building renovation rearrange and revamp the interior of PJH into clustered classrooms and colorful hallways, it also spruced up the school’s exterior with steel siding that matches the color scheme of the its neighboring buildings.

And while the educational benefits abound — including increased teacher communication and collaboration, student comfort and upgraded technology — last year’s interim principal Wally Lis said an enormous bonus has been student and staff attitudes.

“From an academic standpoint, they really went out of their way to make it a nice space,” Lis said of the project contractor Higler Construction, Inc. “I really believe that the wear and tear on a building impacts attitude that both teachers and students have. The job (Higler) did, and how nice they made it should really boost the school’s spirit.”

Additionally, the job that NKSD capital programs manager Dennis Burch and staff did should boost the community’s spirit as they have stayed below their approved budget while still equipping the school with both aesthetically and educationally pleasing amenities.

“The community needs to know that we’ve spent their money very wisely,” Burch said of why people should come to the dedication. “You see the project everyday, and you don’t realize how far it has come from the original building until now.”