BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. — Classes began Wednesday morning for roughly 31,000 students across Baldwin County, and this year’s first day carried extra significance for one growing corner of the Eastern Shore: the brand-new Jubilee Elementary School opened its doors for the first time.
The new campus was built to serve a rapidly expanding section of the Eastern Shore, and staff spent the final days before opening scrambling to get everything ready. Teachers were setting up classrooms in the days leading up to the first day, while other staff members were still finishing work on parts of the building.
Wednesday morning, Jubilee Elementary welcomed approximately 700 students for the first time — a logistical undertaking on top of the usual first-day jitters.
Coordinating a Brand-New Campus
Principal Dana Bottoms said opening a new school brings challenges well beyond the typical first-day rush. “We have not only all the families coming to you, but you also have to worry about the logistics of the building itself, like car line and bus line and things like the intercom system working and even the phones working,” Bottoms said. “So it’s a little bit of everything. It’s not just getting ready for your basic school year. It’s opening up a new facility brings on a lot of challenges too.”
Bottoms said the carline in particular would require patience from parents as staff learn what traffic patterns work best throughout the school year, adjusting as needed.
Because Jubilee Elementary is an entirely new building, Bottoms said the anxiety many students typically feel on the first day of school is something the whole school community will experience together this year. To help students navigate the unfamiliar campus, the school uses color-coded hallways — a design that matches other new elementary schools Baldwin County has built in recent years as the district has expanded to keep pace with growth along the Eastern Shore.