When school starts Monday morning in Charlotte, more than 200 children will start their educational journey at the newly revamped Galewood Early Elementary School. It’s been 10 years since the elementary school, which was constructed in the 1940s, served Charlotte Public Schools students.
Wednesday, Aug. 15 hundreds gathered to celebrate the re-opening of the neighborhood school, which will house the developmental kindergarten, kindergarten and early special education classes for CPS.
“Galewood has been one of the cornerstones of our school district for almost 70 years,” said CPS superintendent Mark Rosekrans to a crowd of a few hundred parents, students, and community members on Aug. 15. “Today is a celebration, it’s joyous.”
The CPS Board of Education voted this spring to re-open the elementary school to Charlotte students due to increased enrollment in the district.
“We’re so proud to be able to reopen an elementary,” said Lee Wheaton, CPS school board president. “We’re really proud to have Charlotte kids back in a learning environment that was built for them way back in the 1940s.”
The school was closed as an elementary school 10 years ago because of declining enrollment in the district.
“It was very emotional, sad and difficult for everyone involved in the closing of the school,” Rosekrans said.
Rosekrans said opening the school as an early education building will provide academic, emotional, social and behavioral benefits.
“Our teachers also recognize the many significant opportunities having all children of the same age group in this single elementary,” Rosekrans said.
