Dedication ceremony celebrates new McNutt Elementary

Students sing at the McNutt Elementary dedication ceremony

Jan. 24, 2017 - Sandy McNutt Elementary was dedicated Saturday, Jan. 21, in a ceremony that honored the school’s namesake and celebrated the school’s future impact on students. Hundreds of people filled the cafetorium for the ceremony, with many forced to watch from the hall and in the gym, where a live feed was projected on the wall.

Through the ceremony, McNutt family and former students and colleagues showered praise on Sandy McNutt. Robert Windham, a former AISD principal who hired McNutt out of college for her first AISD teaching job, called McNutt the “best teacher and administrator in the world.” Chad Conn, a former fourth grade student in McNutt’s class in the 1980s, called her his “sunshine.” Everyone who spoke highlighted McNutt’s smile, relentless positivity and lasting impact on literally thousands of people, from her schools, church, family and community.

After the ceremony, cake was served and teachers opened their classrooms for tours. Sam Houston High School's drumline and cheerleaders performed on the learning stair, while mascots, including the McNutt Mountain Lion, Rowdy from the Dallas Cowboys, Captain from the Texas Rangers and Clifford the Big Red Dog, entertained the children.

Namesake Sandy McNutt with Principal Orsini at the McNutt Elementary dedication

[See more photos from the dedication.]

The 112,000 square-foot school, next door to Workman Junior High, has a 900-student capacity with 44 general classrooms, eight collaborative areas, two STEM labs, art room, strings room, music room, parent room and media room. It also has two playgrounds, one for younger students and one for older.

McNutt Elementary opened in August 2016, one of two new elementary schools funded by the 2014 Bond program. The building was designed by Corgan Architects and constructed under the management of Balfour Beatty Construction.