AISD officials, community leaders and guests commemorated the opening of the state-of-the-art Diane Patrick Elementary School with a dedication ceremony and open tour Saturday.

The elementary school houses 47 general classrooms, two STEM labs, three fine arts rooms and a broadcast studio among other facilities.

The school will house pre-kindergarten through sixth grade and is scheduled to welcome its first 801 students Monday.

At the start of the ceremony, the Sam Houston High School Orchestra entertained guests with music as visitors filled the school's cafeteria.

During the dedication, Diane Patrick Elementary Principal Matthew Brown welcomed commentary from special guests including state officials, AISD administrators, members of the Patrick family and the school's namesake, Diane Patrick, a faculty member at the University of Texas at Arlington with 24 years of public service in education.

Texas Commissioner of Education Michael Williams gave a testament to the school and told the audience that across Texas, there is not a better campus that is in a position to provide dynamic learning for students.

Jeanne Gerlach, dean of the College of Education at UT-Arlington, told the crowd that in a school, good teaching matters most. She then presented the school and Patrick with a children's book Gerlach wrote about the school's namesake.

State Representative Chris Turner read an excerpt from the resolution state officials passed to mark the occasion before Patrick gave the closing remarks.

"All of these people who are here believe in giving back to our community, just like I do," Patrick told the audience.

She concluded with a lesson on what it means to be a Patrick Patriot: They have pride in their school, country and community, Patrick said.

"All of these people who are here believe in giving back to our community, just like I do," Patrick told the audience.

She concluded with a lesson on what it means to be a Patrick Patriot: They have pride in their school, country and community, Patrick said.