Members of the 5th grade Jesse Boyd Elementary School choir and Principal Jonathan Duvall at the groundbreaking event on November 24. Spartanburg School District 7 photo
SPARTANBURG — Spartanburg School District 7 leaders, families and community members gathered Nov. 24 for a ceremonial groundbreaking on the new Jesse Boyd Elementary School, marking a long anticipated step toward expanded learning space and early-childhood services.
Under clear autumn skies at the construction site on Webber Road, district officials lifted shovels to celebrate not only a new school building but what they described as an investment in future generations. The facility will include the district’s second Little Vikings Employee Childcare Center.
Board Chair Clay Mahaffey said the timing of the event underscored the district’s gratitude for community support.
“This is a day of thanksgiving as we take an important step forward for education in Spartanburg,” Mahaffey said.
Superintendent Jeff Stevens called the day “a proud and historic moment” for District 7.
“As our shovels turn this earth today, District 7 turns the page to an exciting new chapter,” Stevens said. “Thank you for believing in this vision and helping bring it to life.”
The ceremony drew several guests connected to the school’s history, including Boyd Scott, grandson of namesake Jesse Boyd, and his wife, Nancy. Former principals Meredith Rose, Margaret Peach and Bob Grant also attended.
Principal Jonathan Duvall said the school’s legacy — spanning nearly 60 years — will carry into the new building, which is expected to open in 2027.
“Our school is a jewel, and soon it will shine even brighter in a home designed for modern teaching and learning,” Duvall said. “It’s the people who make a building feel like home, and that family spirit will move with us.”
PTO President Kinsey Blackwell, a third-generation Jesse Boyd parent, and student body president Ben Hoyle shared their hopes for the project. Representatives from McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture and Harper General Contractors outlined design plans intended to support collaboration, creativity and performance.
In a highlight of the event, the fifth-grade choir, directed by music teacher Racel Odom, performed the school’s new alma mater — a piece written last year through a schoolwide collaboration.
District leaders and members of the school community then joined for the ceremonial turning of the soil, closing the event on a note of unity and anticipation.
“Here’s to a school that will nurture minds, strengthen community and inspire generations to come,” Stevens said. “Your commitment to District 7’s children is abundantly clear.”
