Assistant Principal Patricia Hartsell says she thinks Karney’s leave will be brief. Meanwhile Joella Farrell, former principal at Garinger High School, will serve as interim principal at Alexander, where Hartsell says everything is set for the start of the school year. But it won’t be like the start of any school year. Carney was overseeing the merger of her former Davidson IB Middle School charges with the Alexander students.
“We’ve got our plans in place and the master schedule is completed,” Hartsell says, “and now we’re looking forward to Saturday’s event to get the year started off on a great note.”
Saturday’s event is a “back to school” fair to welcome all the school’s new students. The event, coordinated by the Alexander Parent-Teacher-Student Association, will be held at the athletic field at the school, 12201 Hambright Road, Aug. 13, from 4:30 to 8 p.m.
All new students, but especially those who previously attended now-closed Davidson IB, are urged to attend.
Last year, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools made the budget-related decision to close Davidson IB and relocate the program to Alexander. Karney, principal at Davidson IB, was transferred along with other administrators and most of the program’s teachers to Alexander to smooth the path for the transition.
Approximately 250 students from the Davidson program are expected to attend Alexander this year. The school’s enrollment, in the 600 range last year, will climb to around 900 this year, Hartsell says, but there is still plenty of room to grow.
“I just completed the schedule,” Hartsell says, “and each teacher has their own classroom, no one will have to float from room to room and we will not have to use any mobile units.”
Hartsell says Saturday’s fair will give the students, parents and faculty members the chance to meet and enjoy some fun and fellowship while kicking off what she believes will be an enjoyable, enlightening year.
“We think we’ve got everything in place and there is a lot of anticipation and excitement here,” she says. “We”ve had some improvements to the school, like new lighting and new classroom equipment, and we think the addition of the IB program is just another positive factor. We’re looking forward to a really great year.”
