The staff at Smith Elementary did not let a little rain ruin the school’s ribbon cutting on Friday, Aug. 21. Despite the fact that the skies opened up and began dumping buckets of rain on Garner at the exact moment the ceremony was to begin, staff quickly shifted gears, moved the ribbon to doors inside the newly constructed school facility and carried on as planned.
Principal Chris Lassiter said the flexibility his staff and the school community showed in quickly moving the event indoors is symbolic of how they all have responded to the challenges presented to them over the past couple of years.
“Over the past two years, this journey has required a lot of teamwork,” he said. “This would not have happened without several key role players. First, our special guests – they all had a role in making this building a reality; our parents and our students who went seven to 10 miles further down the road to Banks Road and their flexibility and patience; and most of all our teachers. I have never worked with a more dedicated group of educators than this group.”
Smith Elementary students and staff spent last school year on the campus of Banks Road Elementary while their campus underwent major renovations. The $22 million construction program added new general and special programs classrooms, art and music classrooms, as well as administration, student support services, child nutrition services and plant operations areas. Old Buildings B and C and a portion of Building A were demolished. Older classrooms, corridors and toilets were upgraded, and canopies were provided for student drop off.
Garner Mayor Ronnie Williams said the ribbon cutting marked a great day for the Town of Garner.
“It’s been said sometimes that students learn better in a clean, fresh and new environment, so we are expecting great things here,” he said.
The new renovation isn’t the only change for the students and staff at Smith Elementary this year. Staff members have been preparing for months to implement the IB Primary Years Programme at the school. The school is currently an International Baccalaureate candidate and is working through the process of earning authorization from the International Baccalaureate Organization.
International Baccalaureate schools are committed to inquiry-based learning, international-mindedness and community service. Smith students will be able to follow the WCPSS Magnet Schools IB pathway to the IB Middle Years Programme at East Garner Middle and Garner High. Students seeking an academically rigorous path could also take part in the IB Diploma Programme at Garner High.
The ribbon cutting offered students, parents and community members a chance to view their newly renovated school for the first time and the opportunity to meet their teachers prior to the opening of school on Tuesday, Aug. 25.