Students at Madison’s Leopold Elementary School got a chance to stretch their legs over lunch Monday.

The food was the normal affair: cheese pizza, apple sauce and salad, but the 700 elementary students had a much better environment to eat in after the school’s new lunchroom was finally completed.

"Good morning everybody! Is this exciting or what!" said Mary Manthey, assistant principal at Leopold Elementary. Manthey said she’s “just ecstatic” about the new lunchroom.

"You are the very first class at Leopold Elementary that's using our brand new lunch room. I am so excited for you," Manthey announced to students Monday.

While construction crews apply finishing touches, students marvel at the change.

"There's a big window that I like over there," said Unique, a student at the school.

Besides all the new glass, the playground is also just outside the door -- giving students a new chance at a lunchtime constitutional. The previous lunchroom was roughly half the size and located in a windowless basement.

The noise from the old lunchroom also disrupted the many first-grade classrooms nearby.

"This is just a whole new different place, it's like a whole new world for us," said Manthey.

The $2.7 million addition was approved November of 2006 after enrolment at the school skyrocketed as housing boomed between Madison and the Fitchburg area. While most Madison-area elementary schools remain around 300 students, Leopold Elementary topped 700.

The old lunchroom will be divided into several new rooms to make room for classes that were previously held in the hallways. Officials said despite the addition, the school is still too small.

"We’ll still be tight there's no question about that. Last year the voters did not approve a new plan for an additional school on this site -- so what we have now is sort of the bare minimum that will help us get through the next couple of years," said Mary Hyde, principal at Leopold Elementary.

Despite the school still being a little cramped, teachers and students are grateful.

"We thank you. We needed this a lot. We'll take good care of it. This is a good opportunity to teach kids school pride so it's here for a long time to come," said Manthey.