Bluff Park Elementary School
- This article is abut the present Hoover City Schools elementary school. For the former Jefferson County school, see Bluff Park School.
Bluff Park Elementary School | |
Established | 1987 |
---|---|
School type | |
District | Hoover |
Grades | K-5 |
Principal | Ami Weems |
Enrollment | 617 (2021) |
Colors | Green & yellow |
Mascot | Panthers |
Location | 569 Park Avenue Hoover |
Website | oovercityschools.net |
Bluff Park Elementary School is a school for grades K-5 in the Hoover City Schools system, located at 569 Park Avenue in Hoover's Bluff Park neighborhood.
The school traces its history to the founding of the Summit School on the nearby crest of Shades Mountain in 1898. Jefferson County Schools constructed a new 2-room Bluff Park School near the site of the present school in 1924.
Several additions to the original building were made over the years, starting with a library room in the 1950s. Bluff Park was annexed into the city of Hoover in the 1980s, and Hoover City Schools was established in 1987, taking over operations of the elementary school, which was also used by the Hoover Community Education program. Further enrollment growth was accommodated with portable classroom buildings.
In the early 1990s, Crawford McWilliams Hatcher architects were commissioned to create a master plan for a new elementary school campus on property adjoining the existing school to the south. The new campus opened in phases, beginning with a gymnasium in 1993 and an academic wing for Kindergarten and 1st grade, along with a library/media center, science and art rooms, and staff offices, which opened in 1994. McCrory Building Company constructed the new school.
The older buildings remained in use for day care, community school programs, and community meetings. Hoover Community Education ended its operations at the old Bluff Park School, which was showing signs of deterioration, in 2010. It was refurbished by the City of Hoover in 2011–2012 as home for the non-profit Artists on the Bluff.
By 2017 the school board decided that paying utilities on the older school building no longer used by students fell outside of its mission. The board expected to demolish the entire former elementary school complex, but eventually made plans to save the original 2-room 1924 schoolhouse and restore it as a dedicated home for the system's Student Services department.
Bluff Park Elementary instituted a system of five "houses", inspired by the traditional system used in British public schools, and featured in the "Harry Potter" book series, to promote a sense of belonging. The houses and their attributes are: Azim (Perserverence), Hivo (Believers), Ohana (Family), Stima (Respect), and Trua (Compassion).
Principals
- Terry Lamar, 2015-2018
- Ami Weems, 2018–
References
- Anderson, Jon (September 18, 2017) "Artists must vacate former Bluff Park Elementary School" Hoover Sun
- Anderson, Jon (September 30, 2022) "Appreciating the past: Renovation of old Bluff Park School honors history of 100-year-old building." Hoover Sun
External links
- Bluff Park Elementary School at hoovercityschools.net