KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — The Knox County Board of Education met on Friday to discuss some of the details of its newest elementary school.
They approved the construction of the new school last year. On Friday, they said they would name the new school "Mill Creek Elementary," after the board said they conducted research and gathered community input.
"We surveyed the zone of the school, sent out a survey and collected suggestions," said Sunny Scheafnocker, who works with Knox County Schools. "A committee of people from three schools sat down. We went through the data and selected, based off that data."
They also said the new school's mascot would be an otter and its colors would be silver and blue. It will be located in Northwest Knox County and leaders of KCS said it would affect students currently zoned for Ball Camp Elementary School, Hardin Valley Elementary School and Karns Elementary School.
It is meant to cut down on issues with overcrowding and is expected to open by August 2023, KCS previously said.
In April 2022, they set aside around $6.1 million of the school system's budget to build the new school. Later, they decided to increase the budget for building Mill Creek Elementary by around $1 million, due to unexpected issues with the underground stormwater detention system and supply chain issues.
In September, students from Ball Camp Elementary, Karns Elementary and Hardin Valley Elementary schools also decorated a steel beam that was used in the construction of Mill Creek Elementary.