More than 50 Davidson IB Middle School parents and students attended a tour of J.M. Alexander Middle School Thursday, Jan. 20. The IB program will move into the 12201 Hambright Road school next year, and IB families are deciding if they will move with it.
“Our opinion is, give it a shot,” Davidson IB parent Michael Garcia said. His daughter is a rising seventh-grader. He wants to know how many of the IB teachers plan to relocate to J.M. Alexander next year. “I think if the commitment is there from the teachers, it will work,” he said.
Current Alexander Principal Joanna Smith led the tour.
“Everybody will be under the same roof,” Smith said. “There is lots of room for lots of creative things for students to do here at this one building,” she said.
But Davidson IB parents seemed more concerned with the logistics, like staffing and transportation.
“We know it’s not about the facility,” Davidson IB parent Wendy Readling said. “It’s about the program.” Before she decides where to send her son, Caleb, a rising eighth-grader, she wants some questions answered, including who the new principal will be and whether or not the district will offer busing for the magnet program. “If you can’t have the continuity in some things, you can at least try to have continuity in administration,” she said.
Some IB parents speculate that current IB Principal Jo Karney is slated to take over at Alexander, but CMS staff would not confirm the rumors. Karney was present for the tours Thursday. The district plans to announce the new principal within the next two weeks, Northeast Zone Superintendent Scott Muri said. “A lot of things will fall into place then,” he said.
Comments