Photo caption: McDuffie County School System officials and project crew members shovel dirt during the groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the New Maxwell Elementary School. Staff photo by Liz Wright.
Construction on McDuffie County’s new Maxwell Elementary School is well underway as the school system hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday, April 2, to celebrate the project’s progress.
As the school’s framework and foundation is built, Parrish Construction Group expects to have the $36.6 million elementary school completed on May 31, 2025 – just in time for the 2025-26 school year.
“Today is an incredible day for our school district,” Superintendent Mychele Rhodes said. “The groundbreaking ceremony marks a significant milestone in any construction project. This ceremony represents the start of a brand new story and the beginning of a journey towards progress and growth.”
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The 115,000 square foot school will accommodate 815 students in Pre-K through third grade by combining the student bodies of the historical J.A. Maxwell and Thomson Elementary.
In light of the building’s progress, Rhodes thanked county voters for supporting the project and voting “yes” to replace the older elementary schools, which were respectively 45 and 70 years old.
“In 2021, the voters of McDuffie County approved ESPLOST with the vision of building a new school, and now – as we look around – we see this vision is becoming a reality,” said Rhodes.
The school will incorporate 55 instructional state-of-the-art units, including: 37 regular classrooms, five Pre-K classrooms, four STEM labs, four special education rooms, a computer lab, an art room, a gym, a music room, a media center and an outdoor classroom.
Rhodes said she is most looking forward to the addition of the STEM labs, because it will give students a better understanding of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
“This will enable us to better meet the vision of our district and that’s to prepare students for college, careers and life,” she said. “We want to be able to start this exposure in the elementary grades, so that by the time children matriculate to Thomson High School they are ready to participate in [Career, Technical and Agricultural Education] pathways and prepare a workforce for McDuffie County.”
Thomson Elementary’s current principal Sherrika Brown said she agreed with Rhodes, as it will provide students with several hands-on activities to further improve STEM engagement.
“Regardless of what program they’re in, it is going to be a true benefit for all students,” Brown said.
With a similar design to the adjacent Thomson-McDuffie Middle School, located at 1191 White Oak Road, the school’s layout will also allow administrators to supervise the entire building from one central location to ensure student safety.
“There has been a lot of thought and effort into bringing this building out of the ground,” said Andy Knox, the Sr. chairman of the school system’s Board of Education.
Knox, who attended Thomson Elementary School, said the building has served the county well over the years, but it was time to say goodbye in order to prioritize student achievement.
“It’s time to move on to a more up-to-date and modern facility that will better serve the students of our community,” he said. “We’re absolutely delighted to get this going.”
Vice President of Parrish Construction Group and Project Director Jim Fallon said he was grateful to the county and the education system for allowing his company to take charge of the building and ensure its successful completion.
Through the Parrish partnership, 10% of jobs went to McDuffie County based subcontractors, while another 65% were given to regional subcontractors based in the CSRA.
“For us, it’s a privilege,” he said. “… we’ve got a great team to make sure that this school is the absolute very best.”
By combining schools and placing the new facility next to the local middle school, the county expects to save on transportation costs, as well as making drop-off and pick-up easier for families who have students of various ages.
“We’re also eliminating a transition for our students. Currently, our students are at Maxwell Elementary for Pre-K, Kindergarten and first grade, and at Thomson Elementary for second and third grade,” Rhodes said. “This building and project enables us to combine the two campuses, which gives us a better opportunity to know our families and our students.”
Additionally, by implementing high efficiency HVAC and LED lights, the school will also save on power consumption.
There will also be enough space for 12 additional classrooms, should the county feel the need to add more in the future.
Donna Bennett, principal of Maxwell Elementary School, and Brown said they are excited to see the finished school, as it will provide an improved learning environment for their deserving students.
“Certainly, beginning their schooling in a building like this does nothing but encourage education,” said Bennett.
Most importantly, Brown said it would allow all school staff and administration to develop a more stable and long-lasting relationship with families, because it will eliminate splitting formative years between two schools.
“That’s definitely a big plus for us,” Brown said.
Brown and Bennett also said they have each seen firsthand how difficult it is for parents to drop-off students at two differing elementaries. According to the principals, many families have even had to involve grandparents or nannies to get students to school on-time.
“It becomes a big time factor, and I think transportation in general will run better too,” said Bennett. “There’s really no downsides to this [project].”
During the continuous construction of the new school, Rhodes said the district is currently considering how to memorialize Thomson Elementary and the previous Maxwell Elementary School.
