Daviess County Public Schools will host a groundbreaking ceremony at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 25, at the site of the new Daviess County Middle School. The ceremony will take place at 2600 Calumet Trace in the east side Gateway Commons retail development.
DCPS announced the site of the new school In February after more than 18 months of site considerations. The 43-acre lot will be a combination of 20 acres of “shovel-ready” Gateway Commons land at $260,000 per acre and 23 acres of the Settles Estate at $115,000 per acre, valued at $7.85 million when combined.
The Daviess County School Board voted to keep the name of the school the same in Thursday’s board meeting.
Friday’s program will include a performance by the Daviess County Middle School choir. Student representatives from each of the elementary schools that feed DCMS – East View, Highland, Meadow Lands and Whitesville – will unveil a sign designating the property as the site of the new school, which is scheduled to open in August 2021.
Speakers will include Matt Robbins, superintendent of the Daviess County Public Schools district; Dr. Tom Payne, chairman of the DCPS Board of Education; and Kelly Skeens, principal of Daviess County Middle School.
Former DCMS principals Gates Settle, Mike Robinson and Dr. John Ed Dunn have been invited to attend as special guests. Former principal Gene Crume will be represented by his widow and son, Hannah and Dan Crume. Local and state elected officials and representatives of engineering and contracting groups that are involved in the construction of the new school will also be in attendance.
The ceremony is open to the public. Guests may park at the Malco Theatre with a shuttle providing transportation to the groundbreaking site. Limited parking will also be available on Calumet Trace.
In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be rescheduled to 10 a.m. Monday, Oct. 28. That announcement will be posted on the DCPS website and Facebook page – www.dcps.org and Facebook.com/DaviessCountyPublicSchools
