The Paulding County School District’s 34th school, and 10th middle school, has an official name! At its regular meeting on Tuesday, the Board of Education voted unanimously to name the new school Crossroads Middle School after the unincorporated area that surrounds where the new school is being constructed.
For decades, locals have commonly referred to the area around the new school as Crossroads. In fact, Shelton Elementary School, just up the street from the construction site, was originally named Crossroads Elementary School before it was renamed for former principal Floyd Shelton. The official name remains Shelton Elementary School at Crossroads.
“This is a great day for our school district and for the middle school families in northeast Paulding who will use this outstanding facility for many years to come,” said Superintendent Steve Barnette. “Crossroads Middle School will be a symbol of pride for our students, our staff, and the entire community.”
“The school board considered a wide range of naming options from the many dozens that were submitted by community members and our naming committee,” said school board Chairman Dan Nolan. “We have chosen a name that we believe best represents this community and all the students and families who live here. The name Crossroads Middle School will create a strong tie to this community and will help further establish its identity.”
Crossroads Middle School is scheduled to open in August 2024 in time for the 2024-2025 school year. The next step in the process, which will occur over the next several weeks, will be the development of the attendance boundary for Crossroads Middle School. A proposed attendance boundary will be published after Thanksgiving Break. The district will seek feedback from the community on the proposed attendance boundary during the month of December and expects to finalize the attendance boundary in January. Additionally, in the weeks to follow a principal will be selected for Crossroads Middle School and staffing for the 2024/2025 school year will begin, including the development of a PTA Board and the determination of a school mascot. The new school is being constructed to provide current and future enrollment relief for McClure, Moses, and East Paulding middle schools.
The 148,000-square-foot facility will include 66 instructional units with an enrollment capacity of 1,050 students. The facility, which is similar in design to P.B. Ritch Middle School, will include general education classroom spaces, Connection classrooms including Gym, Band, Choral, Art, World Language, and CTAE Computer Science and Engineering rooms, as well as a media center and cafeteria with stage.
