Groundbreaking ceremony held for new Pope School in Madison County

JACKSON, TENN (WNBJ)-

Members of the Madison County School Board and City and County officials gathered today to break ground on the new Pope School.

The new location is less than a mile from the old building off of Ashport road.

Pope School was built over seventy years ago in 1949; it’s the oldest school building still in use.

"If you've lived in Madison County, Jackson, Madison County for the last 20 years, you have heard of how we need a new pope school," said Melissa Spurgeon the Chief of Staff for Jackson Madison County School System

Parents, Teachers and Staff say replacing the over 70-year-old school is better late than never.

"It's exciting," said Megan Jones, "I have taught in the pope building for more than ten years. I've seen the decline in the building. And just having a new structure for students, I think, is so exciting."

Megan Jones teaches Special Ed at Pope Elementary and she says many people have moved to Gibson county because of the condition of the school, " I think just the thought of that bringing back people is exciting. Bringing back students, bringing back people that want to teach, you know, back into the district, I think is awesome."

The new school will be a K-8th facility that will hold 800-1200 students according to the school system.

Plans for the building are being finalized and construction is expected to begin in the next few months.

Spurgeon said, "We are ecstatic. I don't think you'd run across anybody and Jackson madison county who wouldn't say that we needed this and we finally come to this day. So, yes, you're going to say all grins from all of us because this is we're celebrating this."

Jones says that the children of Pope school deserve a nice new facility, “kids deserve a nice, clean, healthy building to learn in every day.”