Last back-to-school bash for old Bragg

Last back-to-school bash for old Bragg

‘ Bittersweet’ gathering ahead of school year

West Memphis School District

It was a bittersweet moment at Bragg Elementary School Tuesday night at its annual Back to School Bash.

The music blared through loud speakers, free hot dogs, soft drinks and snow cones were passed out to students and parents. Of course, the obligatory heat showed up in force.

Smiles abound.

The school has been a pillar of the North West Memphis historic neighborhood for decades. But this is the final year in its original building.

“It is bittersweet,” said first-year principal Cassie Adams. “It’s been the anchor piece of this area of West Memphis for a long time. We want to make sure we open the school to all the community members who went to school here.”

The 64-year-old building will be demolished at the end of the 2016-17 school year to make way for a brand new $14 million building that is now under construction behind the current structure.

The projected opening date for the new Bragg is set for July 2017 in order to give the faculty time to settle into the place. “We’re excited to get this (new) phase under way,” Adams added.

The new one-level school will be over 72,000 square feet and feature a gymnasium.

The building project is one of several under way in the local school district. In the immediate future there will be renovations at Richland, Weaver and Faulk Elementarys and work is already under way at those schools. The last time West Memphis built a new school from the ground up was in 1988 after a devastating tornado blew down Maddux Elementary.

Adams replaces previous Bragg principal Terri Mc-Cann, who is now an assistant superintendent in charge of the district’s elementary schools.

“Our theme this year is Bragg is Anchored in Success,” Adams stated. “You can feel it through the teachers. Our goal is to put the students first. We’ve already enrolled 530 kids.”

By Billy Woods