Cornelius Elementary school won the top award from the Belk Bowl Foundation, to be used for the media center makeover
By Dave Vieser. It’s a sure sign that schools will be opening soon: Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools is looking for more bus drivers. Indeed, public schools are set to open on Monday Aug. 29, the latest opening date in memory for their 146,140-student system which includes four schools in Cornelius: Cornelius Elementary, JV Washam Elementary, Bailey Middle and Hough High. Despite earlier concerns among some parents that students would be bused to more distant schools, assignments for students are the same this year as they were last year.
Moreover, the school board has approved future assignment guiding principles that call for preserving the current mix of neighborhood-based assignments and magnet options that CMS now has. The only changes likely to eventually impact students in Cornelius will be some minor boundary adjustments between the elementary schools.
CMS School Board Member Rhonda Lennon, a Cornelius resident, says our schools are in excellent shape. “We have great staff and principals and our students are achieving some wonderful test scores,” Lennon said. “In fact, we’re seeing a significant number of families returning from charter schools to our public school system.”
“We have great staff and principals and our students are achieving some wonderful test scores. In fact, we’re seeing a significant number of families returning from charter schools to our public school system.”
– CMS Board Member Rhonda Lennon
Especially popular, Lennon said, are the Advanced Placement (AP) courses being offered at Hough High School covering the four basic core areas: English, Math, Science and Social Studies. Beyond that, the school offers a solid array of classes in many other areas, including world languages, marketing, clothing apparel, and music.
Lennon believes the return of students to Hough is a clear testament to the reputation it’s getting as an excellent school both from an academic and athletic perspective.
At Cornelius Elementary, two projects should be ready when school bells ring in August. On the inside, the school’s library/media center is getting a $100,000 makeover, said Principal Jessica Holbrook. “Our media specialist, Pamela Lilley, along with several students created a video submission to the Belk Bowl Innovation Lab Contest. We competed with all elementary schools in Mecklenburg County and Union County and were selected as the $100,000 Grand Prize winner!”
“This (Bailey Middle) is CMS’ second largest middle school, and we also know this is the age when we can lose the students. That’s not happening at Bailey.”
– CMS North Superintendent Matt Hayes
Holbrook said they’ve been working during the past few months looking at everything from paint to carpet samples. “It should be done in time for opening day, the first makeover for this heavily used facility since…1997.”
Meanwhile, on the grounds behind the school, the town is putting the finishing touches on a new illuminated baseball field with two new diamonds and backstops.
At JV Washam Elementary School the accomplishments are more personal. “Principal Paula Rao has been tending to a serious family emergency during the past 12 months,” said CMS North Superintendent Matt Hayes” and yet, through it all, the school has stayed on a steady pace of accomplishment, with academic scores continuing to increase.”
And at Bailey Middle School, Hayes says that the staff is working hard to develop a curriculum individualized to each student during the difficult early teen years. “This is CMS’ second largest middle school, and we also know this is the age when we can lose the students. That’s not happening at Bailey.” He cites the school’s outstanding array of student clubs and organizations, including a highly competitive robotics team.
