Even though the land has been cleared and graded and some of the concrete already poured, the Gainesville City School Board made it official Thursday night and held a formal groundbreaking for the new Enota Multiple Intelligences Academy.
Dr. Jeremy Williams, Superintendent for Gainesville City Schools, opened the ceremony with an analogy about the construction of a new school and the education of students.
"You think about what we do in education and you think about where we start with kids when they come into pre-K or kindergarten. What are we doing? We start with a foundation, we build the foundation, we continue to build our children up until some day they leave us and we get to see the work that's been done," Williams said. "This is a great parallel to what we do and how we serve our kids."
The old Enota building, erected 64 years ago, was demolished at the end of the 2016-17 school year. In the two months since the demolition, construction crews have moved quickly with the building process.
Several Enota teachers attended the ceremony, including 5th grade math and science teacher Jason Holcombe. He brought his entire family, including the family dog, to see the groundbreaking.
"Some of the excitement [with a new school] is bringing something new to the city," Holcombe said. "The design of the building is awesome - it creates more space for us to grow as a school and to offer the students new technology, new opportunities to grow."
The new Enota won't be ready for students until the 2018-19 school year, so teachers and students will share a campus this school year with Centennial Arts Academy. Holcombe said he doesn't think that will be a problem.
"To have a beautiful building like they're doing here, spending a year displaced is not as bad as it sounds," Holcombe said. "I think that it'll be a challenge for sure trying to squeeze into one location...but it'll be worth it."
Enota Principal Wesley Roach agreed that there would be challenges in the upcoming school year, but he said both Enota and Centennial staff and students are prepared to work together.
"You know, we've come to refer to it as just an adventure," Roach said. "If we thought we were going to be in this situation for three or four or five, 10 years, then it would maybe be a different feel...but this is just part of what you do to birth something beautiful and brand new at this site."
The new school year begins Wednesday, August 2 for Gainesville City Schools.
