STEELE CREEK NEWS

Help Name New Elementary Schools

(March 21, 2009) Principals of the new Dixie River Road/Berewick elementary school and Youngblood/Hamilton-Smith elementary school each had meetings last week for families with children who will be attending those schools next year.

Both principals enthusiastically encouraged families to take part in efforts to name the new schools, pick school mascots and colors, and to organize PTSA and school leadership teams.

New schools receive temporary names during planning and construction. The School Board adopts the official name based on recommendations from the schools' future students and their parents.

Each school will have a Naming Committee meeting on Thursday, March 26 at 6:00 PM at Southwest Middle School.

The new elementary school at Hamilton and Smith Roads initially was called Youngblood Road/Steele Creek Road because it was planned somewhere in the vicinity of Youngblood and Steele Creek Roads. The eventual site wasn't on either of those roads. It also has been called Hamilton Smith School, but Youngblood Elementary School is the current working name.

The school will have 39 classrooms on two floors because of the small size of the tract of land. The first floor will have the kindergarten and first grade classes. Each of these will have an enclosed play area just outside the classroom. The other grades will be on the second floor. The 39 total classrooms include art, music, and computer classrooms. The classroom wing is on the south end of the school.

Youngblood Elementary School - March 22, 2009

Administrative offices are at the center front of the building, and the media center is behind that. On the north end is the multi-purpose room and cafeteria. These are separated by partitions, which can be removed to create a single, large room. Total capacity of the school is 792.

New principal Aquanetta Edmond is excited about getting everything ready to open the school in August. She's busy hiring the best teachers she can find. Other tasks for her and the community are:

• Choosing names to present to the School Board. She's looking for volunteers for a Naming the School Committee, which will review and discuss suggested names, research the history or other significance of those names, and present the top four choices for voting by students and parents. Recommendations will be presented to the School Board in April. The first meeting of the committee is on Thursday March 26 at Southwest Middle School. If you have suggestions for a name or would like to volunteer for the committee, contact Ms. Edmond at aquanetta.edmond@cms.k12.nc.us.
   

• Organizing a PTSA and School Leadership Team.

To view Ms. Edmond's presentation last week, view floor plans, review the naming process, and check out other information and news, visit the schools web site: Youngblood Elementary School.

Cheryl Turner is the principal of the new Dixie River Road Elementary School, which is sometimes called Berewick Elementary School because it's adjacent to the Berewick Community and located within the future Berewick Regional Park.

The Dixie River Road Elementary School will have a similar floor plan to the Youngblood School except that the classroom wing is at an angle and the multi-purpose room will be replaced by a full sized gym. School construction funding was supplemented by the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department. The gym will also function as a recreation center.

Ms. Turner is also looking for volunteers to work on naming the school and organizing a PTSA and Student Leadership Team. View her presentation from last week and see other school information at the school's web site: Dixie River Road Elementary School.

Dixie River Road Elementary School - March 22, 2009

There's a lot to do before these schools open on August 25. If you have children who will attend one of them, be sure to contact Ms. Edmond or Ms. Turner to volunteer and offer ideas and suggestions.