Groton — On the outside, Gail Abercrombie held it together. But inside, she was sad.

“I’m a mess,” said Abercrombie, who's been the nurse at Pleasant Valley Elementary School for 27 years. “It’s my home away from home. I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”

The Groton school, which was built in the 1950s, closes on Thursday. The district made the decision because it could not afford to keep it open. The school promoted its last fifth-grade class on Tuesday afternoon.

“I’m going to miss the most coming here to pick up my sister and seeing my teachers,” said Ian Main, 10, who will attend West Side Middle School in the fall. His younger sister is moving to Catherine Kolnaski Magnet School.

“This is like a family,” their mother, Chrissy Main, said in describing the school.

Pleasant Valley's 300 students opted to attend magnet schools or were otherwise reassigned. Teachers also are moving to new schools and some staff are awaiting assignments.

“This is the best school we’ve been to since we moved here,” said Joshua Barrett, whose daughter was promoted from fifth grade and will attend Carl C. Cutler Middle School in the fall. His younger daughter, who is turning 7, will attend Charles Barnum Elementary School, he said.

Both the girls went to school happy, and his youngest daughter is a bit upset because some of her friends will be in different schools, Barrett said. But the children are getting used to the idea of change, he said.

While the closing is bittersweet, Superintendent Michael Graner told parents, children and staff to remember that the school community will remain.

“A building is not a school community. The community is you,” he told the audience at the promotion ceremony. Pleasant Valley children, families and staff will bring their school culture to other schools in Groton, he said.

“My way of thinking about this wonderful school community is we’re actually going to share it around the district,” he said.

Still, there were tears. Susi Brodie, a special education teacher retiring this year, has been at the school for 30 years. Years ago, Pleasant Valley was one of two schools in Groton for the children of enlisted service personnel in the Navy. The other was William Seely Elementary School, which closed about 13 years ago.

The children of Navy officers attended Charles Barnum and Mary Morrisson elementary schools then, Brodie recalled. Pleasant Valley had 600 students at the time and every year, 300 new children would arrive and 300 would leave, with the arrival and departure of Navy ships.

Staff took in the children almost like family, caring for them while a parent was away in service.

“I always worry about my kids going to middle school, and I’m full of emotion for all the kids transferring," Brodie said. "I want them to feel safe and enveloped.” But she added that she knows the Groton schools, and the students will be well cared for.

Pleasant Valley held field trips to have its students visit their new schools. Children visited Catherine Kolnaski, Claude Chester Elementary School and Mary Morrisson Elementary School on Tuesday. Last week, students took trips to see Charles Barnum and S.B. Butler elementary schools. A trip to Northeast Academy Arts Magnet School was planned next.

Principal Kathleen Miner held special recess time for students who will be at the same school next year. All children going to Charles Barnum had a special recess so they could play together, for example.

“It’s emotional. It hits you in waves. But in the last week, we’ve all settled into the journey,” she said.

For the last day, she planned something special. Each classroom has a netted container with a butterfly, and at 10 a.m. on the last day, the children will all go outside and release the butterflies. Then they'll eat ice cream.

“It was a great year,” Miner said. “Great run.”

 d.straszheim@theday.com