When teachers at Coultrap Elementary School in Geneva headed out for summer break a few months ago, they were also saying goodbye to the building many had taught in for years.

“We loved Coultrap so much,” said Donna Potaczek, who teaches accelerated and enrichment classes. “There was so much character.”

Officials said the school at 113 Peyton St. was no longer an appropriate learning space for children. The 100,000-square-foot Williamsburg Elementary School, which opened this month at 1812 Williamsburg Ave., is the replacement school.

Potaczek said tears were short-lived when staff members left Coultrap.

“We all feel like we’ve won the lottery — there’s so much room at Williamsburg and we have state-of-the-art technology,” she said. “When we walked in, we couldn’t believe how beautiful it was.”

The students are also impressed.

“It’s a lot bigger,” said Bobby Prainito, 9, on the first day of school Aug. 20, “and cleaner.”

Luke Jaeger, 11, likes the way the building is laid out.

“The art room is two stories high and if you’re on the second level you can look down into it,” he said.

Renee Ninni, whose son Michael is a first-grader at Williamsburg, is also excited about the new school.

“I love it,” she said. “It’s beautiful. And it’s closer to my house.”

But student Monique Case, 10, misses her old school building.

“I liked Coultrap better,” she said. “I felt like it was my home.”

Officials plan to move the District 304 offices to the Coultrap building.

In August 2009, the 110,000-square-foot Fabyan Elementary School will open. Officials said that school is needed as Geneva’s population shifts to the west.

Last year, taxpayers approved a referendum to issue $80 million in bonds to fund the first phase of the district’s 10-year master plan, which includes building two elementary schools, technology upgrades for all of the district’s schools and districtwide capital improvement projects. Geneva High School expansion is part of the second phase of the plan.