School Executive Director Curt Fischer said the footings were being put in place and the pouring of the floor was scheduled for Friday.

"The kids' mood is very up," Fischer said. "They can see things happening every day."

To make themselves a part of the building process, students are participating in the "Building God's Way" program. They've made signs to encourage the construction workers and on Friday morning the seniors brought coffee and doughnuts as a thank you for the workers, Fischer said.

"The seniors won't get to see the new building, but there are the heart and soul of the school, and some of them have younger brothers and sisters at the school," he said.

The students have also adjusted their daily routines to compensate for the work, such as the burying of water lines and tapping into sewer lines, he said. Students who drive to the school at 3900 W. Husker Highway have been triple and quadruple parking their vehicles to make room for the necessary digging, he said.

Construction work began in September and is expected to be completed by July, at the latest, he said.

If everything goes as planned, Heartland Lutheran officials hope the addition will house a gymnasium, locker rooms, a commons area, officers, two laboratories, and music and art rooms, he said.

The steel components of the building should be arriving in about three weeks and, depending on weather delays, people should begin seeing the building go up soon after, he said.

Carpeting and fixtures have already been purchased and the lab tables are being built "as part of the package," he said. Officials are holding off on buying any desks because of the large amount of items in storage, he said.

"I don't want to buy anything until I'm sure of what we have and don't have," Fischer said.

The addition can't be connected to the current building because of building code regulations. However, it will only be a short walk between the two buildings, Fischer said previously.

Other codes require a specific number of fire hydrants to be placed outside the addition and workers from Diamond Engineering have been putting those in place, he said.

A 30-year bond will be issued through a program especially for private schools and a capital campaign has been held to help pay for the addition. Fund raising is ongoing, he said.

In addition to the building, a three-car garage will be built to hold a tractor, serve as a storage area and accommodate a weight room for students, he said previously.

The construction seems to be increasing interest in enrollment at the high school, he said. There are 65 students at Heartland Lutheran and that number is projected to increase to 90 next year.