With hard hats and a ceremonial shovel turn, the Bartow County School System breaks ground on a new $30 million Mission Road Elementary School.
After 37 years, a new foundation will be laid, and MRES Principal Sherrie Hughes will be there to ensure the new 103,119-square-foot building is filled with murals, memories, and more academic advancements.
“I feel like a proud mom watching this exciting time in Mission Road Elementary School's history,” said Hughes.
During the monumental groundbreaking ceremony at the construction site, which is located on the west portion of the current property, students, staff, stakeholders, and local dignitaries celebrated the investment into our students’ future.
“It was a moment I have never experienced before,” said Bartow County School System Superintendent Dr. Phillip Page. “As we listened to the Mission Road Elementary School Chorus perform and then broke ground, a sense of pride washed over us all. We are so thankful for a school board and community that are committed to the educational needs of our children. Due to significant residential growth in this attendance zone, this new campus is needed.”
Site work for the new school, which is designed by CDH Partners and constructed by Carroll Daniel Construction, will be complete in July 2024.
Funded by Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST), the new two-story building will hold 48 instructional units and house up to 800 students. Staff and students will also enjoy natural light in all classrooms.
“Every year, students in the fifth grade Art Club pick a wall or area in the school to paint a mural,” said Hughes. “These murals are very special to us and bring back so many sweet memories. We have been talking to Tonsmeire Studios about a way we can take these memories with us to become a part of the new MRES.”
The existing MRES will be torn down after construction is complete and doors open at the new state-of-the-art facility.
“A strong positive relationship with multi-generational stakeholders helps make us special,” said Principal Hughes. “Breaking ground on a new building where we’ll continue that legacy is exciting! Former MRES Principal Nancy Summey is surely looking down on us, proud as can be.”