MIDWAY — With bright — and more efficient — lights, Liberty Elementary School Principal Charlene Rocker showed off the renovations to her school last week.
The $3.8 million worth of improvements touched nearly every facet of the facility, and the school system held a ribbon cutting to officially welcome the upgrades on January 3.
“I am delighted,” Rocker said. “We’re unveiling that transformed and revitalized learning environment that we know without a doubt will enhance the educational experience for everyone in this community for years to come.
“The scope of this project is huge — the flooring, the wall graphics, the lighting, it’s amazing. We are truly inspired. And take a look at our media center,” Rocker added.
The project was funded largely through education special purpose local option sales tax proceeds, prompting Rocker, school board Chair Verdell Jones and Superintendent Dr. Franklin Perry to extol the penny tax.
“We want the public to see what they’re paying for,” Dr. Perry said. “I have never seen another county support education like Liberty County.”
“We need to let the people see why these things are important,” Jones said. “They belong to the constituents of Liberty County and most importantly to our children.”
Jones recalled being in the old Liberty Elementary School, not far from its current location and now home to the county’s east end complex.
“We didn’t have a facility that looked like this,” Jones said. “We pride ourselves in making sure every tool, every resource, even our buildings, look like the quality education we want to give our children.
“This is about our children. This is about our future,” Jones continued. “This is about making sure not only our children get a great education, but they get it in a state of the art facility. It is gorgeous.”
Dr. Perry also boasted of the school’s heightened security features.
“We have a lot of security in here we can’t really tell you about,” he said. “There is a lot of security in this building to help keep children safe.”
Rocker praised her faculty and staff for working through the renovation and also lauded architects Cogdell and Mendrala and contractors Dabbs-Williams for their efforts.
“We’re glad they helped us go through a smooth and timely renovation process,” she said. “They helped us right on through it.”
Rocker also invited former LES principal Matilda Riles to see the improved building, which had more than 1,000 light fixtures replaced. The new energy efficient lighting installed has resulted in $50,000 in rebates from Georgia Power, Rocker said.
“It reflects our efforts to be financially prudent and it symbolizes our district leaders’ commitment to providing an optimal learning environment for our students,” Rocker said.
Members of Rocker’s school cabinet, fifth-graders Nevin Guzman-Diaz and Olivia Martin, also spoke, with Guzman-Diaz recounting the highs — and lows — since kindergarten at LES and Martin discussing how LES has helped shape her.
“I have been a student at LES since I was in the first grade. I was a shy, nervous little girl but now I am proud to say I am a sophisticated scholar,” she said. “At LES, I have learned to try my best, no matter what and to be respectful and responsible in all that I do. As I prepare to go to middle school, I know that Liberty Elementary has given me the tools I need to succeed and has done so in an environment that has me excited to learn.”
