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Sumner Elementary School students are ready for college. They really like the buildings for it anyway.

“It’s big inside and outside too,” said third-grader Adriana Rodriguez-Ocampo said of Riverland Community College.

Sumner students are adapting well to the change in their last two weeks of school. Since transferring buildings two weeks ago, they’ve enjoyed roaming the building and having fun on the grassy areas outside. The teachers have enjoyed it too.

“We’ve loved having this great facility to use,” said Jennifer Lloyd, an English Language Learning teacher. “The kids have really stepped it up too.”

Students learned a lot about diversity Friday, especially from Monica Deng, the wife of Sudanese success coach Santino Deng who talked about Sudan with several classes. She explained how Sudan came to be so religiously diverse, when Saudi Arabian traders settled in the region in the 1600s.

“In Januuary 1956, Sudan became independent from Egypt” and the United Kingdom, Deng told students.

In Riverland’s gymnasium, success coach Enrique Camarena showed students the finer points of soccer, part of Friday’s diversity activities.

“All school year, we’ve been waiting for a good opportunity to use our success coaches a little more,” Lloyd said.

In all, it seems there’s still learning taking place even if the students switch to a bigger building (and playground).

“It’s been awesome,” said Sumner Principal Sheila Berger. “The staff has really been creative. We had students on a science walk the other day that saw ducks for the first time.”

Students, for their part, are more than willing to stay at Riverland.

“We don’t have homework (every day) and we do fun stuff,” said Melanie Wigham, a first-grader.