‘Collaboration’ key to new Putnam elementary school

  • Along with several Putnam County Elementary School students at the ribbon cutting, Putnam County Board of Education Superintendent Derick Austin (center, pink tie) was joined by BOE board members Charles Trumbo (left, back row), BOE Chair Dr. Steve Weiner (sunglasses), and (l-r, back row,) Doris Clemons, Carol Ann Guthrie, and Rev. Simone Jones. PCES Principal Whitney Smith is standing to Austin’s right. IAN TOCHER/Staff
    Along with several Putnam County Elementary School students at the ribbon cutting, Putnam County Board of Education Superintendent Derick Austin (center, pink tie) was joined by BOE board members Charles Trumbo (left, back row), BOE Chair Dr. Steve Weiner (sunglasses), and (l-r, back row,) Doris Clemons, Carol Ann Guthrie, and Rev. Simone Jones. PCES Principal Whitney Smith is standing to Austin’s right. IAN TOCHER/Staff
  • PCES Principal Whitney Smith
    PCES Principal Whitney Smith

    Sixteen months since the groundbreaking last March, and only a year after construction began, the new Putnam County Elementary School officially opened with a late-afternoon ribbon cutting last Thursday, hosted by the Eatonton-Putnam Chamber of Commerce.

    “This school is a product of vision, hard work, and collaboration,” Putnam County Board of Education Superintendent Derick Austin declared in his opening remarks.

    “This is your space, a place to learn, grow, and build memories that will last a lifetime,” he added, referring directly to about two dozen young students on site, who will be among the first to inhabit the new school. “This building is more than bricks and mortar. It’s a promise; a promise that every child in Putnam County deserves the very best.”