GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — The future of education in Guilford County schools is taking shape.
One example is in the new state-of-the-art visual and performing arts campus in east Greensboro.
While still offering a comprehensive general education with reading, writing and math, these specialty magnet schools offer students an intimate look at their passions by giving them hands-on experiences.
Sparks are flying at the construction site on Randall Street in east Greensboro. With every piece of welded steel, the project inches closer to completion.
“They’re welding the joints and soldering the joints with the copper piping as well as installing the hangars,” said Gene Sides, executive director of projects and engineering with GCS.
Sides offered a tour on Tuesday.
With the heat of every blue flame melding pliable metal, the $69.3 million visual and performing arts elementary school is taking shape.
“654 students. It’s about 175,000 square feet,” Sides said.
The magnet school replaces Hampton Elementary School and Peeler Elementary School.
“This one is going to be unique because it’s a visual and performing arts school … to help encompass the creativeness in our students,” Sides said.
Funded by the $300 million bond initiative that taxpayers voted for in 2020, this project was among the top district priorities with seven others in the first phase.
Peeler Elementary School, which formerly stood at the site of the new school, was destroyed when a tornado ripped through the area in 2018.
“Our canopy is going to have some signature on it, which will spell out ‘art is joy,’” Sides said.
When construction is complete, they hope students will walk in and know their school was built with joy.
The district lists the date of completion for the new visual and performing arts magnet school as “TBA” for now.
There are a total of 25 existing bond projects encompassing roughly $2 billion of taxpayer money.
The district website has photos and construction estimates for each 2020 bond project.
