MOBILE, Ala. — Students at Mary B. Austin Elementary School now have a place to run, play and gather no matter what the weather brings. School and district leaders held a ribbon-cutting Tuesday, Oct. 27, to open the school’s new multipurpose building, a gymnasium and event space that rises beside the campus’s historic Old Ann oak in the heart of Spring Hill.
The Mary B. Austin Elementary ribbon-cutting marked the end of a long wait for families and neighbors who have pushed for such a building for almost a decade. According to Principal Robyn Terry, the new space will serve as the school’s gym and will also host a wide range of school events.
Before construction, the site was nothing more than grass and turf, according to the school. Now it offers students a covered, safe area for physical activity on cold mornings and rainy afternoons alike.
District and community leaders attend
A large group of Mobile County Public School System leaders turned out for the ceremony. Superintendent Chresal D. Threadgill attended along with Deputy Superintendent Dr. Lakesha Brackins, School Board Commissioner Dr. Reginald Crenshaw, Chief Area Administrator Andrea Dennis and School Improvement Administrator Dorothy Walton.
Elected officials outside the school system were also on hand. Mobile County Commissioner Connie Hudson and state Rep. Chris Pringle were recognized as special guests.
Terry thanked district leaders and state officials for supporting the project. She also singled out three of her predecessors who came back for the occasion:
- Jackie Zeigler, who now represents District 1 on the Alabama State Board of Education;
- Dr. Amanda Jones, former principal of Barton Academy for Advanced World Studies; and
- Dr. Melissa Whigham, currently principal of Lott Middle School.
Terry credited those former principals with laying the groundwork for the gym years before it was built.
“Long before this building became a reality, they were planting seeds, dreaming big, and advocating for our students and community,” Terry said. “Today, we get to see the fruits of those efforts, and I am grateful to stand on the foundation they helped build.”
A decade of advocacy
The push for an indoor activity space at Mary B. Austin did not begin with the current administration. According to Terry, neighbors and school leaders have spoken up for the school’s students for nearly 10 years, arguing that children needed somewhere to go when conditions outside made play difficult or unsafe.
Terry said earlier administrators saw that need well before she arrived. She described their goal as giving the students of Mary B. Austin, and the wider community, a space where children could go inside when it turns cold — which, she noted with a nod to the Gulf Coast climate, does sometimes happen in Mobile — and on the rainy days when students simply need somewhere to play.
For a coastal city that sees frequent summer thunderstorms and heavy rainfall through much of the year, an indoor gym can make a practical difference in how often physical education classes and recess can go on as planned. Without one, rainy-day activities are typically moved into classrooms, hallways or cafeterias, where space for movement is limited.
Terry said the most rewarding part of the project has been watching students experience the building for the first time.
“But seeing these children’s eyes the first time that they walk in this building is what makes all of this worth it,” she said.
First P.E. class gets to work
The gym did not sit empty for long. After the ribbon was cut, guests and staff members mingled inside while the day’s first physical education class worked through exercise drills using a giant parachute — a staple of elementary P.E. in which a group of children grips the edges of a large, colorful canopy and moves it in unison to build coordination, teamwork and strength.
School officials described the building as a dramatic change for the historic Spring Hill campus. Beyond everyday P.E. classes, the multipurpose design means the space can be used for assemblies, performances, celebrations and other events that previously had to be squeezed into smaller rooms or held outdoors.
Who managed the project
The construction project was overseen by the school system’s Facilities Division. Louis Anderson, executive director of the MCPSS Facilities Division, managed the work along with John Seitz, a contract specialist for the district.
The Facilities Division is responsible for planning, building and maintaining school buildings across the Mobile County Public School System, which serves students throughout the city of Mobile and the rest of Mobile County. Projects such as new gyms, classroom additions and renovations are typically coordinated through that office, which works with architects and contractors from design through completion.
Former students invited back
The new gym has generated excitement beyond the students currently enrolled. Terry said many former fifth graders who have since moved on to middle school were eager to see the finished building, and she said she is looking forward to welcoming them back to visit.
That sense of connection between past and present students was a theme throughout the ceremony. Terry described the building as an investment that will serve the school for many years.
The new building “is so much more than four walls and a roof,” Terry said. “It is a place where students will grow, friendships will be strengthened, accomplishments will be celebrated, and memories will be made for generations to come.”
She added that the space will bring the school and its neighbors together in new ways.
“It is a place where our school and community can come together in ways we have only dreamed about until now,” she said.
Why it matters for Spring Hill families
Mary B. Austin Elementary sits in Mobile’s Spring Hill area, a neighborhood known for its tree-lined streets and longstanding institutions. The school’s campus is anchored by the Old Ann oak, and the new building was placed alongside the tree rather than in place of it, keeping one of the campus’s best-known features at its center.
For parents, the most immediate change is reliability. With an indoor gym, physical education can continue through cold snaps and downpours, giving students a consistent outlet for exercise during the school day. Teachers and administrators also gain a large gathering space for schoolwide programs.
For the neighbors who spent years advocating for the building, Tuesday’s ceremony was a chance to see that work finally pay off. As Terry put it, the people who planted the seeds years ago can now see what grew from them.
