By Jade Bulecza - bio | email
VALDOSTA, GA (WALB) - Some students in one of the fastest growing areas of south Georgia will begin classes in a brand new school Wednesday.
The Lowndes County school system is opening Pine Grove middle school to keep up with population growth.
The 24 million dollar Pine Grove Middle School was paid for by SPLOST money.
"The benefit of being in a new school is that you have opportunity to to start fresh, said Principal Sol Summerlin. "You can build on the successes of the other schools but create your own identity."
The new school has a track, a gymnasium with wood floors, high technology in every classroom, and natural lighting in each hallway.
One of the upgrades at the new school is an interactive MOBI device. It allows students and teachers to actively engage in interactive technology. The MOBI electronic boards can be utilized like a game show for students.
"It has a student response system built in for instance," said Karen Kelley, eigth grade teacher. "I could set up a question and each of the students would have different responses and clickers to enter answers. It would show how everyone votes."
The best way for parents to get to the school according to the school system is to take Cat Creek Road to River Road. Another traffic concern is Westside Elementary School.
Lowndes County engineering recommends parents using Westside Road or James Road off of Highway 84.
Construction on the new Pine Grove Elementary is a work in progress. It's scheduled to open in time for the next school year.
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