Groundbreaking ceremony held for new middle school in Stanley
For three weeks this
summer, bulldozers,
excavators, and backhoes
removed trees, turned
over dirt, and prepared
the land for a new middle
school in Stanley. But a
groundbreaking ceremony
on July 19 marked the
official start of construction
for the new facility, which
will be built on the same
parcel of land as the current
school.
The Stanley community
came together with officials
from across Gaston County
to celebrate the new school,
which is scheduled to open
during the 2017-2018
school year. Superintendent
of Schools W. Jeffrey Booker
led the groundbreaking
ceremony and gave a
presentation describing plans for the building.
“This will be the best middle school in Gaston County,” Booker said. “With
the new school comes a state-of-the-art environment for quality teaching and
accelerated learning -- a special place that will evoke pride and enthusiasm
among students, teachers, parents, and the Stanley community.”
Booker thanked the Board of Education, county officials, and Stanley
town leaders for their support of the project. The building represents an
investment of about $27.5 million with funding provided from the school bond
referendum approved by
voters in November 2007.
Designed to
accommodate projected
population growth in the
Stanley and Mount Holly
areas, the new school will
house 800 students in sixth
through eighth grades and
has capacity for 1,000
students.
The two-story, state-ofthe-art facility will feature
135,000 square feet of
space with more than
40 classrooms equipped
with the latest technology
and additional space for
instructional use.
“All of us have high
hopes for this building,”
said Gaston County
Commissioner Tom Keigher
during the ceremony. “It
sends the message that education is important to us all and is valued in
Gaston County.”
Officials attending the ceremony included members of the Board of
Education, Gaston County Commission, Stanley Town Council and Town
Manager Heath Jenkins, and N.C. Rep. John Torbett, among others. Jenkins,
who attended Stanley Middle School when it was known as a junior high, said
the town appreciated the school district’s investment in the community.
Also speaking at the ceremony was Rev. Dusty Smith of Depot Church in
Stanley, who offered a Blessing of the Land and compared building a school
to planting a seed. “Teachers and students will grow here because of the love
of the community,” he said.
In a “flip-flop” of the school building and athletic fields, the new school
will be built behind the existing building on the site of the football field. The
old building will be demolished after students move into the new school
during the 2017-2018 school year. The new athletic fields will be located
where the current school building sits and should be finished in 2018.
The new school will feature:
n a modern library and media center, which will serve as the heart of the
school and be located near the main entrance;
n a spacious cafeteria with stage area and large gymnasium to allow for
a variety of uses;
n grades separated by wings, with the sixth grade on the main floor and
seventh and eighth grades on the second floor as well as administration areas
on each floor;
n separate bus and vehicle entrances plus 175 parking spaces and a pickup lane that is able to accommodate 90 cars;
n maximum use of natural light and energy efficiency throughout the
school; and
n new athletic facilities including a multipurpose football field with a sixlane track, a 300-foot baseball field, bleachers, a field house, and equipment
storage facility.
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4 • September/October 2016 • Parent Teacher News
In March 2015, the Board of Education approved plans for a new middle
school in Stanley. The larger school will help to alleviate overcrowding
at Mount Holly Middle School and make space available in anticipation of
projected population growth in the Stanley and Mount Holly areas.