The Jackson County Board of Education broke ground Tuesday for a new middle school in the county.
Legacy Knoll Middle School will have the capacity for 900 students, and construction is projected to be complete by May 2023. The new middle school will be adjacent to Jackson County High School.
“Our community has experienced unprecedented growth,” Jackson County Board of Education chairman Don Clerici said. “However, like we always do, our Board has come together to solve this problem and do what is best for our students.”
Legacy Knoll Middle School will alleviate crowding in other Jackson County schools, particularly in West Jackson Middle School. The new school building will be 139,000 square feet and will enroll seventh and eighth-graders.
West Jackson Middle School will be designated for fifth and sixth graders, while Gum Springs Elementary will take kindergarteners up to fourth grade. Parents and school administrators believe that this age group separation will benefit their childrens’ well-being.
“Some parents have expressed [that] middle school is just kind of a weird and awkward time,” Andrea Briscoe, public relations officer with Jackson County schools, said. “And so [we are] just making the transitions a little bit more smooth. There's a big difference between a fifth-grader and an eighth-grader, so we're just trying to make things a little bit of a better experience for our kids.”
The Jackson County Board of Education involved the parent advisory council in the feedback process.
“These conversations with these parents were incredibly powerful,” Clerici said. “We heard that parents wanted to address the growth, while still prioritizing shorter commutes to their childrens’ school.”
Sam McGaughey is a member of the parent advisory council and has two children in the Jackson County School System. He looks forward to the new Legacy Knoll Middle School that will serve his children and generations to come.
“Us as parents have committed to leaving behind a greater legacy than we found,” McGaughey said. “I guess that's why I particularly love the name Legacy Knoll Middle School, because it's part of something bigger.”
Carroll Daniel Construction will build the new middle school. The construction company built the new Jackson County High School, which opened in 2021.
Chris Irwin with Carroll Daniel Construction spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony and said he was eager to improve students’ educational experience.
“I want you to envision for a minute a school there, changing lives,” Irwin said. “Not for one year, not for 10 years – for a minimum of 45 to 60 years on this campus. And that is very important to this community.”
