This message was originally printed in a recent issue of the Daily Citizen News.  

 

It’s hard to believe that in only nine months, Dalton Public Schools will open its first new school built in 15 years! Even in the midst of educating students in this unprecedented time, our district has simultaneously been working on reconfiguring all of our secondary schools to better meet the needs of our children.

 

We are incredibly excited about opening Hammond Creek Middle School in August. The school is a major piece of our reconfiguration process. The $51.7 million school, which includes $3.3 million in state funding, will house all students in sixth and seventh grade. Lauri Johnson will serve as principal of Hammond Creek Middle School. We expect it will house 1200 students—600 students less than the existing Dalton Middle School—and closer in enrollment to typical middle schools across Georgia.

 

So where will students in grade eight attend school? Grades eight and nine students will attend Dalton Junior High School, the new name for the existing Dalton Middle School facility.

Students at Dalton Junior High will have the opportunity to explore their interests before choosing one of our many career pathways that will be offered at the high school level.

 

While new schools are opening in August 2021, one school will close at the end of this school year. Morris Innovative High School started as a credit recovery program in 2012 to help students who were at-risk of not graduating. Over the last 8 years, MIHS evolved to be so much more thanks to the incredible teachers and staff who gave generously of their time and talents to the many students who found a home there and proudly graduated as MIHS tigers.

 

As part of goal to lower the overall student populations in our secondary schools, our high schools will serve students in grades 10 through 12. Our board and administration believe we must have two high schools that provide rigorous academics, competitive career pathways as well as athletic opportunities to best serve the varying needs of our almost 1800 students in grades 10 through 12. During spring semester, students and families will be asked to choose which high school in Dalton—either Dalton High School or The Dalton Academy—best meets their needs.

 

Dalton High School will continue to provide world-class learning for students in the same way that it has for the last 100 years. Students in grades 10 through 12 can pursue a variety of pathways including Culinary Arts, Engineering, Graphic Design, Game Design, Computer Science, the Fine Arts Academy and JROTC. Dalton High will also continue to offer Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and dual enrollment classes.

 

The Dalton Academy, a magnet school offering career pathways focused on service, leadership and entrepreneurship, will open its doors to approximately 600 students. With the opening of The Dalton

Academy, the district will be able to reduce the population size at Dalton High School, expand the career pathway options for students and provide more opportunities for all students in the district.

 

The Dalton Academy will be located in the current sixth grade wing of Dalton Middle School, which is currently undergoing renovations. Dr. Matt Mederios will serve as the principal of the school. He most recently served as a high school principal in Florida and has experience working in a choice environment.

 

When students arrive at The Dalton Academy in August, they will have their own separate entrance and state-of-the-art classrooms and labs. The Dalton Academy will have a smaller school environment, and will offer its own unique pathways, including Entrepreneurship and Leadership, Sports Medicine, Sports and Entertainment Marketing, Audio Video Technology and Film and Teaching as a Profession. It will also offer extracurricular clubs and organizations, along with a variety of athletics.

 

Over the next few months, students and parents will have the opportunity to learn more about the reconfiguration at our secondary level and how these changes will provide more opportunities for students at all levels.

 

High school students and their parents will soon learn more about both of our grade 10 through 12 high schools and how to make the best choice that is right for them.

 

It’s an exciting time to be a student or employee in Dalton Public Schools. I am confident that both Dalton High School and The Dalton Academy, as well as Hammond Creek Middle School and Dalton Junior High School will offer unique, high-quality experiences for our students that will prepare them for college, career and civic life.