BY MELINDA SKUTNICK

Selma Burke Middle School is rapidly growing from an idea to a vision as additional details are unveiled for the Mooresville Graded School District’s newest facility.

During the MGSD Board of Education meeting this week, Chief Operations Officer Michael Royal presented a campus layout for the Rinehardt Road school, which slated for a 70-acre parcel just north of Lancaster’s BBQ in Mooresville.

The anticipated $35 million, 900-seat project is being funded by the March 2020 school bond referendum.

The vast campus includes four planned tennis courts, a practice athletic field, a track and field stadium, a softball field and baseball field in addition to ample parking, school bus parking and the two-story school building.

A floor plan for the facility showcases designated wings for each grade level as well as a large cafeteria, art and dance rooms, a central media center and a nearly 1,000-seat gymnasium.

The school will house sixth, seventh and eighth grades following a districtwide grade-level reconfiguration that will move sixth grade students from intermediate to middle school.

Royal also revealed that Selma Burke Middle School has officially determined its mascot and school colors. SBMS will display black and gold and feature a bear as its mascot.

MGSD will be accepting bids for the project with a due date of July 2021. District officials hope to break ground in August of this year with a completion date of July 2023, allowing for students to begin at SBMS that fall.