If you have driven down Old US 1 towards New Hill, you have seen where Old US 1 crosses 540 and a rapidly progressing project to add more schools to our town. This new elementary school, Pleasant Plains Elementary, will be one of two schools in Apex to open for the upcoming school year in August. The second school, Felton Grove High School, is under construction off Stephenson Road between Ten-Ten Road and Sunset Lake Road. As Apex continues to grow, Wake County Public Schools works to add capacity with these two new schools to accommodate the growing population in our town.
According to Shane Webster, RA, Senior Facility Planner for WCPSS, the two schools are named after local landmarks. Pleasant Plains’ name reflects its location near Pleasant Plains Road and the town’s Pleasant Park. Felton Grove’s name is in honor of the historic residential community of Felton Grove, which was located in the southern part of what is now the Town of Apex.
Both schools will have state-of-the-art buildings offering students some exciting learning environments and opportunities. Both buildings feature collaborative learning spaces. Emily Earle, designer from Ratio Design, the design team for Felton Grove High School, shares, “Learning can happen anywhere, and [the building design] extends the learning footprint beyond the classroom to more spacious options but also provides opportunities for autonomous learning.”
The buildings’ designs also incorporate green technology features, including orienting the structures to maximize daylight in the classroom to enhance the students’ learning environment. The design also utilizes low VOC (volatile organic compounds) finishes to minimize indoor air pollution. Mr. Webster gives credit to the project teams including architects, RATIO and DLR Architects and Clancy and Theys Construction for their hard work on these projects.
The design and construction teams faced challenges with these projects. The initial design process started during COVID so the design team had to navigate how to create a collaborative design remotely. The construction team had to overcome other obstacles including long lead times for materials. Despite these challenges, both projects are expected to finish on time in order to welcome students in August.
Pleasant Plains Elementary School
Pleasant Plains Elementary School will open with Katie Caggia as its first principal. Mrs. Caggia comes to Pleasant Plains from Apex Elementary School and is a 28-year educator with previous experience at Olive Chapel and Green Hope elementary schools. As the inaugural principal, Mrs. Caggia is most excited about the process of building the Pleasant Plains school community. She shares, “Being at the genesis of a school community is a rare and unique opportunity.”
The Pleasant Plains community will be the Cardinals and the school colors will be red, blue and yellow. The Cardinal community will have the opportunity to share their input and ideas regarding clubs and other family engagement activities. A year-round calendar school, Pleasant Plains will welcome Tracks 1, 2 and 3 on July 7 and Track 4 on July 28.
Mrs. Caggia says, “Apex is my hometown, and it is an honor and privilege to serve the Apex community as the founding principal of Pleasant Plains Elementary. I am committed to facilitating the creation of a warm, welcoming and meaningful learning environment that also provides educational experiences to help all students discover their full potential.”
Check out the Pleasant Plains Elementary School website (https://www.wcpss.net/domain/22397) for updates, events and messages from Mrs. Caggia.
Felton Grove High School
Wake County’s newest high school, Felton Grove High School, is located at 8550 Stephenson Road in Apex. The school will welcome its first freshman and sophomore classes on August 25. It will ultimately serve more than 2,200 students.
Robert Morrison, previously principal of Holly Springs High School, will serve as Felton Grove’s first principal. Mr. Morrison started his education career with Wake County Public Schools in 1994 and also served as principal at Wendell Middle School.
Mr. Morrison says he is eager to welcome students to this wonderful building. “I see my role as bringing our school community together to thrive.” The building’s collaborative spaces will help create and support that sense of fellowship for students and staff.
The Felton Grove High School community will be the Galaxy and the school colors will be baby blue and red. Mr. Morrison shared two logo designs for the Galaxy. According to Mr. Morrison, the school community will decide collectively on the mascot and final logo colors, and he looks forward to receiving input from all school community members.
Principal Morrison recently held a curriculum night to introduce incoming students and their families to some special academic and career program offerings at Felton Grove. Students can take advantage of the AP Capstone program, recognized by the College Board, which helps develop writing, research and critical thinking skills in a cross-curricular format. Students will also be able to explore animal sciences and agricultural mechanics career pathways at Felton Grove.
Mr. Morrison says, “I am most excited to be part of the Apex community and look forward to making Felton Grove High School a vital part of the wider community.”
Check out the Felton Grove High School website (https://nc01911451.schoolwires.net/Page/59264) for updates.
Starting the school year is an exciting time for students and their families. This year, many of our neighbors will have the extra excitement of being part of the first group of students in two new school buildings. Pleasant Plains Elementary School and Felton Grove High School are welcome additions, adding to the vibrant education community here in Apex.
