Ossie Ware Mitchell Middle School
| Ossie Ware Mitchell Middle School | |
|
Birmingham City Schools |
| Years | 2006–present |
|---|---|
| Location | 501 81st Street South, (map) South East Lake |
| Grades | 6-8 |
| Principal | Rameka Davis |
| Enrollment | 350 (2010) |
| Colors | purple & gold |
| Mascot | Tigers |
| Website | bcs.schoolwires.net |
Ossie Ware Mitchell Middle School is a middle school in the Birmingham City Schools system located at 501 81st Street South in the South East Lake neighborhood of East Lake.
The school was originally intended as an elementary school, and the former St Thomas Home on the Hill was purchased from the Diocese of Birmingham as the site. The name was chosen to honor Ossie Ware Mitchell, long-time Brown Springs neighborhood president and the first African American woman to serve on the Birmingham Board of Education. Other suggested names included "Ruffner Mountain Elementary School" (due to its proximity to Ruffner Mountain) and "Bobby Bowden Elementary School" (for Birmingham native Bobby Bowden).
Construction of the 57,665 square-foot school began in February 2005 and was completed in September 2006. When the Birmingham Board of Education voted to close L. Frazier Banks Middle School, those students were moved to Ossie Ware Mitchell. Soon the board decided to make the new school into a middle school and approved additions that were completed in January 2007. Currently the school has 24 regular classrooms, one science classroom, two special education classrooms and one music and art classroom. Other facilities include a media center, reading room, computer lab, a 200-seat cafeteria with commercial kitchen and a 300-seat gymnasium with a stage on one end. Administrative suit includes a testing room, counselor's offices, first aid area, conference room, vault and staff offices and restrooms.
The building was designed by Charles Williams & Associates and built by Harley McGatha Construction.
In 2013, under the terms of the Alabama Accountability Act, Ossie Ware Mitchell Middle School was deemed a "failing school", permitting parents to claim tax credits to transfer students to another school.
Principals
- Bettie Jones
- Damita Pitts, -2013
- Robbie Sullivan, 2013-2014
- Rameka Davis, 2014-
References
- Chandler, Kim (June 18, 2013) "Alabama Accountability Act: 78 schools listed as failing/ Current private school students not eligible for tax credits." The Birmingham News