02 Sep 2016 Dedication planned for new Ida Burns Elementary

Members of the community and the media are invited to celebrate with us as the faculty and students of Ida Burns Elementary School, along with the Conway Public Schools Board of Education and school district leaders dedicate their new school building.

The dedication ceremony will take place at Ida Burns Elementary School, 1201 Donaghey Avenue, at 9:00 a.m. on Friday September 16th.  

The festivities will include a performance by the Ida Burns Elementary Choir as well as an official “ribbon cutting” for the new facility.  Superintendent Dr. Greg Murry will dedicate the new building and Conway Mayor Tab Townsell will share thoughts and some of his personal memories, as an alumnus of Ida Burns.

The original Ida Burns building, built in 1957, was torn down this past summer to make room for the new two-story building and parking lot that now stands in it’s place.  The new building houses state-of-the art classrooms with expansive cabinets and storage space for teachers, a new cafeteria with a stage, a new front office area and nurse’s station, and a safe room.  The new building has also dramatically changed the landscape of Donaghey Avenue and improved traffic flow on the street tremendously.

Ida Burns Principal Cindy Thacker says every person in their building is beyond thrilled with their new home.

“The circumstances of our school remind me of the Roman mythological god Janus who had two faces, one looking with pride and appreciation to the past and the other looking to the future with anticipation and excitement of things to come,” says Thacker.  “Janus represented time since he could see into the past with one face and into the future with the other. At Ida Burns we are likewise proud of our past achievements and we anticipate an even better future…for which we will spare no effort to bring to fruition.”