District breaks ground on new elementary school
Robbinsville – After a ceremonial scoop with a shovel, Graham County Schools took a huge step forward in its quest to consolidate all three of its district institutions onto a single campus.
Dignitaries from across the county visited the site of the new Robbinsville Elementary School for July 1's special groundbreaking. The location encompasses the former Loudon Orr Memorial Field, as well as a parcel of land that once featured a red barn on the border of a popular walking path.
Progress cleared the way on both locations, however; the only remnants left of a baseball field was home plate and the site of the groundbreaking itself: the former pitcher's mound. Also gone is the distinctive barn.
In an estimated 2-3 years, a two-story school will rest on the western side of the campus. The middle/high school will remain across the road.
The groundbreaking itself was a brief ceremony. Graham County Schools Superintendent Robert Moody began by thanking many of the individuals that have contributed to making the project become a reality.
"We need something better for the children of our school system," Moody said. "Our elementary school is old and outdated – and more importantly, it's not in a safe location. In this day and age, it's hard to keep our kids secluded – or safe – on a campus that's right in the middle of town."
Moody also quoted Proverbs 24: 3-4, simply changing one word to fit the moment.
"Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established: And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches."
Moody changed the word "house" to "school."
"It doesn't look like much now, but in two years, there's going to be a building standing behind us," said Moody. "The building itself is not precious, but what we're going to fill it with is."
The district purchased 6.04 acres of land in anticipation of the school's construction in November 2024. The new facility will be constructed using $42 million in grant funding, which was secured through the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction's Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund. Money in the fund is pooled from the state lottery.
Assistant superintendent David Matheson concluded the introduction with a prayer.
The ceremony can be viewed on The Graham Star's YouTube channel.