Purpose, Passion, and Pride at the new Dolores W. McClatchey Elementary School
Midlothian ISD celebrated the ground breaking of their seventh elementary school, Dolores W. McClatchey Elementary School, Monday, September 21st 2015. The school features 44 classrooms that will provide comprehensive educational services for 750 students in grades Pre-K through fifth grade. Furthermore, the 93,413 square foot facility provides direct access to the Library for after-hour programs, natural light in every classroom and corridor, as well as widened corridors with angled walls, that create collaborative and break-out spaces. VLK implemented a design process that directly aligned with the 4 Cs that are a focus of today's 21st Century classrooms: Creativity, Communication, Collaboration, and Critical Thinking.
'We challenged key administrators, elementary school principals, facility staff and technology staff to imagine and define a learning environment that supports student engagement through the use of our interactive gaming process,' said Leesa Vardeman, VLK Principal. 'The resulting design represents a flexible, technology rich solution that meets the needs of all learners and will adapt to curriculum of the future.'
Dolores W. McClatchey, a beloved Midlothian ISD educator and an honored guest at the ground breaking, addressed the crowd of students, community members, and faculty.
'It has been said that education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire,' said McClatchey. 'I am excited to begin this journey, and to witness the lighting of the teaching and learning fire in this beautiful building. I look forward to the excitement of seeing the building going up, but most of all, the excitement of seeing teaching and learning going on in this building.'
Courtney Carpenter was recently appointed as the principal for the new elementary school. She is excited to lead the students next year when the school opens.
'The formal ground breaking of Dolores W. McClatchey Elementary is an exciting event for our community and school district. It represents an important milestone for our growing district,' Carpenter said. 'As Principal of the new Dolores W. McClatchey Elementary School, I am very excited about partnering with VLK and our forward-thinking MISD administrative team in creating a campus of collaboration, innovation, and flexible spacing; thus maximizing learning opportunities for the 21st century learner.'