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Amy Rickard
By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
Amy Rickard, principal of Glenwood Elementary School, has been named principal of Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School’s tenth elementary school, which will open in fall 2008.
The school, which school officials have dubbed elementary number 10, will be located at the corner of Dromoland Road and Eubanks Road.
Rickard has served as Glenwood Elementary’s principal since 2004. Prior to her work at Glenwood, she was assistant principal at Rashkis Elementary and McDougle Elementary.
In addition, Rickard was a language arts teacher at Kannapolis Middle School before entering administration. She holds a master’s degree in school administration and a bachelor’s degree in English education and psychology from UNC.
Rickard will continue her work at Glenwood during the first nine weeks of the school year, after which she will begin work toward opening the new elementary school.
Glenwood Elementary assistant principal Minnie Goins will serve as interim principal at Glenwood.
Rickard said she looks forward to starting the process of opening a new elementary school.
“It’s quite an honor to be chosen to be a principal to start a new school from the ground up,†she said.
However, she added that it was a difficult decision to leave Glenwood.
“Glenwood is such a wonderful school,†she said. “It’s a difficult task to leave a place that you care about so much.â€
Rickard said that while she has not started work on elementary number 10 yet, she does have a vision for the school and will begin piecing together ideas after she leaves Glenwood.
According to Steve Scroggs, assistant superintendent for support services, construction is on schedule for the school to open next fall. However, he said, “This will be the tightest construction schedule we’ve ever done.â€
The construction team broke ground on the new school in March.
The school building is based on the Rashkis Elementary prototype and will be able to serve 585 students. During the 2008-09 school year, about 400 kids will attend, providing much-needed relief to the district’s nine other elementary schools.
The school board redistricted earlier this year in order to plan for the opening of elementary number 10.
“We normally leave some breathing room in a new school,†Scroggs said. In addition, the school board allows rising fifth graders to remain at their current elementary school, so the new school will not have a fifth-grade class during its first year.
The district will work to hire faculty and staff for the new school throughout this school year, starting with a secretary, technology specialist and a media specialist.