PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – Demolition is currently underway at the Oakland Terrace campus to make way for a new modern facility built to better serve students with the greatest needs.
For years, Margaret K. Lewis School has served some of Bay County’s most unique learners.
“All of our students have some type of significant cognitive disability and have specific needs that require additional resources that may not be available at other schools,” said Crystal Hudson, Principal at Margaret K. Lewis School
With around 160 students and growing, the school has outgrown its current building, a campus originally designed as an elementary school.
“We’re teaching life skills, we’re teaching job skills, we’re teaching independent skills, so we need a facility to be able to do that,” said Hudson.
A new $3.6 million, state-of-the-art school is on the way with improved infrastructure, updated equipment, and expanded medical support, all aimed at better serving students and staff.
“It’s not about the building, it’s not about the physical space, it’s about what it means for our students, and our community recognizing the value that they have,” a school official said.
The St. Andrew School at Oakland Terrace property is set to become the new home for Margaret K. Lewis students. Demolition began Monday, and district officials expect the buildings to be down in about two weeks, with the entire demolition phase wrapping up by the end of the summer.
Jerry Register, a Bay District Schools board member and a graduate of the Oakland Terrace school, said it’s tough to watch a piece of history come down.
“This is certainly a bittersweet moment. Back in 1953, I went to school at Oakland Terrace, and that’s where I met my wife,” Register said.
Register, said the rebuild is a necessary next step for students who need more space and more support.
“Through the years I’ve beat the drum—we need a new MK Lewis, those parents, those students, those teachers, what a great institution,” Register said.
District leaders said construction will take about two years. When it’s done, they expect a campus built specifically for the needs of the students it serves.
As construction moves forward, students from Oakland Terrace will relocate to the Rosenwald campus this school year. When the new Margaret K. Lewis School opens, it will also serve about 25 additional special needs students currently attending Surfside Academy.
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