Construction going well at Gum Springs Elem.
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
It’s not too hard to imagine students walking the hallways of the new Gum Springs Elementary School.
This week, construction workers are slated to lay tile in those hallways. School administrators are expected to order furniture for the new school. And colorful paint will soon be painted on the elementary school’s walls.
Construction of the 119,000 square-foot school seems to be going well — thanks in part to drier weather conditions helping the construction schedule.
Gum Springs Elementary School will be the largest elementary school for the Jackson County School System when it opens next school year on Aug. 7. It will also be the first two-story elementary school for the district.
Gum Springs Elementary School — with a capacity for 875 students — is expected to welcome 705 students when the doors open. The school is located between West Jackson Middle School and Traditions of Braselton, Jackson County’s largest subdivision.
Tom Brown with the construction company Bowen and Watson said he expects the facility to be completed in late June, although a “punch list” of construction items will remain after that time.
Gum Springs Elementary School will include 48 general classrooms for grades pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. Third through fifth grade classrooms will be located on the second floor, while pre-k through second grade classes will be located on the first floor. The school’s main entrance on Gum Springs Church Road is located on the second floor.
The school’s gymnasium, and art and music classrooms are located on the first floor, in the rear of the building.
Alisa Hanley will be the principal of Gum Springs Elementary School. She is also the current principal of West Jackson Intermediate School.
“I’m excited about it,” Hanley said. “It’ll be a beautiful building.”
When visitors enter Gum Springs Elementary School, they’ll notice a large, open lobby in the front entrance. To the left is the cafeteria capable of seating 350 students; to the right is the front office and administrative offices. A large staircase leading downstairs is located in the center of the lobby.
Dennis Patrick, transportation director for the county school system, said the facility also features several energy-saving devices.
To conserve water, the school will have waterless urinals in its restrooms. Lights in the classrooms will be motion-activated to help save electricity, Patrick explained.
Hanley also said the new school will also include enhanced technology in the classrooms. Interactive “smart boards” and document cameras will be available for classroom instruction, she said.
Staffing of the $14.9 million school is almost complete, Hanley said. Gum Springs Elementary School will include 35 teachers, 11 “specials” teachers, two assistant principals, three front office staff members and five and a half custodians, she said.
About 30 personnel from West Jackson Primary, West Jackson Intermediate and other schools in the county school system are transferring to Gum Springs Elementary, Hanley said. The Jackson County Board of Education approved a number of those transfers last week.
