Three New Schools Open in 2008-09
July 7, 2008 - The Wake County Public School System will open three new schools for 2008-09, while more schools are being built and planned.The schools opening this year include three new year-round elementary schools: Laurel Park Elementary, Mills Park Elementary and Sycamore Creek Elementary.
Laurel Park Elementary is an example of the school system’s creative efforts to provide school capacity. The 111,356 square foot school was created by renovating an industrial building. The new school is expected to serve more than 600 students this year.
Mills Park Elementary is another example of the school system’s creative efforts to provide school capacity. Located in close proximity to the site is the Cary Park neighborhood whose developer was instrumental in the cost-effective acquisition of the site and site development funds donation. Mills Park is a 103,769 square foot three-story building. The new school is expected to serve more than 700 students this year.
Sycamore Creek students will begin the school year at Hilburn Elementary, while final touches on the school’s permanent home on Leesville Road are completed. The school will move into its new facility in August. The new school facility is a 103,348 square foot two-story elementary school. The new school is expected to serve approximately 700 students this year.
Smith Elementary will move to the Banks Road campus at 10225 Chambers Road in Raleigh for a year while the Smith campus is renovated. Smith will return to its renovated campus and Banks Road will open with its own students in 2009. Students from Aversboro Elementary will also move into their newly renovated building this year. WCPSS began constructing a new school behind the existing school for Aversboro students to occupy in 2008-09. Root Elementary will open in a temporary modular campus at North Hills, while the Root campus undergoes renovation. River Bend Elementary continues in its temporary modular campus on Spring Forest Road and will move into its permanent facility when it’s ready later this year.
There’s been a lot of work that’s gone into preparing for the school openings. While the school facilities are built, principals are appointed to begin the job of pulling together the staff, academic programs, books and equipment the new schools will need. They work to finalize classroom, teacher and track assignments, as well as serving as instructional leaders. Then they welcome new students and families into the newest school facilities in Wake County.
New 2008 Year-round Schools
Laurel Park Elementary
2450 Laura Duncan Road,
Apex, NC 27523
Principal: Gail Turner
Bell Schedule: 9:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
111,356 square feet school building located on a 15.63 acre site.
The school will be in a renovated existing industrial building that had housed the "Bespak" plant.
Mills Park Elementary
509 Mills Park Drive
Cary, NC 27519
Principal: Michael Regan
Bell Schedule: 9:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
103,769 square feet school building located on a 20 acre site.
The newly constructed school facility is a new three-story 800 student capacity elementary school design derived from the E-15 and E-18 elementary designs.
Sycamore Creek Elementary
10921 Leesville Road
Raleigh, NC 27613
Principal: Kristen Faircloth
Bell Schedule: 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
103,348 square feet school building located on a 17.24 acre site.
This is a new larger elementary prototype adapted from the Cedar Fork design by Small Kane Architect.
WCPSS Schools opened since 2000 |
|
2008 |
3 schools: Laurel Park Year-round ES, Mills Park Year-round ES, Sycamore Creek Year-round ES |
2007 |
7 schools: East Garner Year-round ES, North Forest Pines Year-round ES, Sanford Creek Year-round ES, East Cary Year-round MS, Wendell MS, East Wake School of Arts, Education and Global Studies+, East Wake School of Engineering Systems+ |
2006 |
9 schools: Barwell Road Year-round ES, Brier Creek Year-round ES, Carpenter Year-round ES, Holly Grove Year-round ES*; River Bend Year-round ES*; Holly Springs HS Panther Creek HS, Wake Early College of Health and Sciences and East Wake School of Integrated Technology+. |
2005 |
5 schools: Cedar Fork ES, Forest Pines ES*, Wakelon ES*, Harris Creek ES*, River Oaks MS |
2004 |
7 schools: Jones Dairy Year-round ES, Turner Creek Year-round ES, Heritage Year-round MS, Forestville Road ES, Highcroft Drive ES, Salem MS, Knightdale HS |
2003 |
4 schools: Holly Ridge ES, Holly Ridge MS, Reedy Creek MS, Heritage Year-round ES |
2002 |
3 schools: Ballentine ES, Moore Square MS, Middle Creek HS |
2001 |
none |
2000 |
7 schools: Salem ES, Middle Creek ES, Yates Mill ES, Green Hope ES, Centennial Campus MS, Wakefield MS, Wakefield HS |
Total |
45 schools: 26 elementary schools, 9 middle schools, 9 high schools and 1 special/optional school |
*Early start school in temporary facility
+East Wake High School was divided into four small learning communities “schools within a school”
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