‘A breath of fresh air’
CMS dedicates new Nations Ford Elementary
The new Nations Ford Elementary building was dedicated Oct. 16, signaling a new
day for the school that first opened in 1957.
“It’s a breath of fresh air,” said Principal Alejandra Garcia.
The new facility is a replacement school built with funds from the 2013 bond and
cost approximately $19 million. It has 40 classrooms and is located directly behind
E.E. Waddell Language Academy on Nations Ford Road.
Garcia, Superintendent Ann Clark and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education
Chairperson Mary McCray spoke at the ceremony. A third-grade class sang “What
a Wonderful
School” and student
ambassadors
conducted school
tours after the
program.
”I’ve been asking students what they like best, and the most consistent answer was
‘everything,’” Clark said. “The consistent message from teachers is, ‘This is a great space to
teach in.’”
Clark emphasized the brightness and cheerfulness of the new space and how energizing it is for
students and staff to come to a new school. Larger classrooms and new technology are other
advantages that come with a new building.
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Nations Ford has a strong sense of community and has experienced double-digit proficiency
growth. Garcia said there were some tears shed when the building first opened, along with a
feeling of gratefulness.
“It’s very powerful to have this building,” she said. “The students feel so rewarded.”
Talking about teen safety
Safe Teen Driving Week begins at Butler High
Police officers, officials from the N.C.
Governor’s Highway Safety Office and
students gathered at Butler High Oct. 17
to launch statewide activities for Safe Teen
Driver Week.
Auto accidents kill teens ages 15 to 19
more than any other cause. “There have
been 85 lost lives so far in 2016, people
like you who did not go home to their
parents,” said Don Nail, director of the
Governor’s Highway Safety Program.
Student stations offered activities such
as a Don’t Text and Drive simulation and
information on the Five to Drive. Police vehicles and the forensic testing bus were on hand. So
was the mangled vehicle driven by CMS student Gabrielle Williams when she was struck by an
intoxicated driver. Williams told students about the accident, which severely injured her and
killed her friend Lacee Paige Sullivan.
“Most teen crashes are from inexperience,” said Janice Williams, director of the Carolinas
Center for Injury Prevention. “If 85 teens were shot, people would be horrified, but 85 in
accidents? Not so much and these are preventable.”
Driver education can cover only so much. Parent