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Community comes together

Citizens, officials gather for Westside Elementary topping out ceremony

September 19, 2007

by Rabyn Ratliff

Source: The Valdosta Daily Times
View the original article.

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Community members joined the Lowndes County School System and Pinnacle Prime Contractors, Inc. Tuesday, for a topping out celebration for the new Westside Elementary School.

Only six months into the ESPLOST II funded project, contractors of Pinnacle Prime are already halfway done with construction, and were joined on the construction site by several members of the Lowndes School system and local community, as the last beam of the new facility was lifted into place.

"Our anticipated completion date is April 2008," said Project Superintendent Steve Hutchinson. "We have about 65 people on average on the site each day, and there are about 100-125 people involved in other aspects. We couldn't do this job without all these guys out here in the hard-hats, as well as those behind the scene."

Once completed and open in Fall 2008, the school will serve 650-700 elementary students who are currently enrolled at Parker Mathis. The school will also serve some students from other system schools, as the system works to redraw districting lines by Spring of next year, according to Superintendent Steve Smith.

Standing on the construction site in front of the unique facility, which brings a new two-story design model to the area, a feel of tradition still rested on the grounds where the old Westside High gym still remains. Future Westside Elementary School Principal Creacy Sermons shared the history of the school and the journey to where it stands today.

"Westside High school came about 1960 when the two high schools for blacks here in Lowndes County merged together. It was home of the Seminole Braves and was one of the largest black high schools in Georgia, fully accredited and serving 800 students," said Sermons, who currently leads Parker Mathis Elementary. "Westside was recognized for excellence both in academics and sports, and I remember watching my own sister play basketball right in that gym."

Following integration, Westside consolidated with LHS, and the building was used to house several education departments and programs of the Lowndes system, including it's most recent use as the system's alternative school.

Once Parker Mathis students are moved into the facility next year, the system's alternative school program will utilize the Parker Mathis school building.

Having her own connection to the school, Sermons proudly looks to the future and continuing the Westside tradition of excellence.

"In Fall 2008, we will complete the circle began almost 50 years ago" Sermons said. Once again, Westside will be a new school, this time, home of the little Vikings, and we at Parker Mathis are looking forward to it."

The celebration brought out several supporters from both the county and city of Valdosta, including Mayor John Fretti and County Commissioners Richard Lee and Edgar Roberts.

"This is definitely a demonstration that we've come from a long way in terms of progress, and our ability to unify and work collectively together attests to that," said Roberts, a 1963 graduate of Westside High. "This community has changed from when this school was an all black school, and when that road out there was dirt and there were nothing but farming land all around here. We can see that we're moving further into Metro status."

Mayor Fretti applauded the system for it's decision to build up, a common practice of Metro communities, as "land has become a commodity in our area," he said.

Once the facility is complete, with it's 51 classrooms, each designed at 20 percent above the state minimum square foot for classroom size, Smith anticipates it serving as the region's example of premier school facilities.

"I really think this will be a place of our community and state that people will come to see, so that they can model this vision," said Smith.

Designed by Architects Glenn Gregory & Associates who have shared a 25 year partnership with Pinnacle Prime, the Westside facility is only one of more than 30 schools throughout Valdosta-Lowndes and surrounding counties, that have been completed through the two partnering groups.

In this local community, it has been the combined support of city and county citizens, through the approval of ESPLOST, that is continuing to help both systems rebuild each of its schools, as well as new ones, and to equip each school with state of the art technology.