Robert Moody
Robbinsville – Details are still limited, but one thing is all but certain: Graham County Schools will soon have $42 million to spend on the construction of a new Robbinsville Elementary School.
Superintendent Robert Moody announced the preliminary award of a grant from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction during Tuesday’s Graham County Board of Education meeting, informing those on-hand that state superintendent Catherine Truitt personally called him Saturday to deliver the good news.
Over 120 systems put in for the grant; Moody said Graham County Schools was “one of the few” to get the grant.
The district has long expressed a desire to build a new elementary facility. The current institution is housed in the same building that was served as Robbinsville High School until December 1992; the structure was first built in the 1960s.
“This was a vision for (former superintendent) Angie Knight for several years; her and (former facilities director) Kevin White wrote grants for years,” Moody said. “Dr. (Jaime) Hooper took over this year and wrote the grant. (Current assistant superintendent) David (Matheson), (current facilities director) Cullin (Buchanan) and (maintenance director) Patrick (Nichols) have been working on the logistics of the plans.
“It truly has been a team effort and I appreciate everyone for what they’ve done.”
The Graham Star will provide more information as it becomes available. To watch the meeting in its entirety, check out the Star’s YouTube channel.