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SUPERINTENDENT RUDY CREW, MIAMI MAYOR MANNY DIAZ MIAMI – Superintendent Rudy Crew and Miami Mayor Manny Diaz welcomed students to the new Holmes Elementary School this morning, the first day of the 2007-2008 school year. “This is fabulous. It’s hard to believe the transformation that has taken place here in just over seven months. It is a wonderful and blessed morning as it marks the beginning of a renewed spirit about Holmes Elementary,” said Dr. Crew. “This lets us start the school year for the community on the right foot. We are very pleased to see it. We expect that the quality of instructional programs will match the beauty of the school. This is a promise to the community that was kept. Several years ago, parents were angry and cynical and felt that they were being neglected. Now they see that the Office of the Mayor and the school district will do what we say we will do.” Mayor Diaz said, “This is very exciting to me. This is the only thing that could have kept me from taking my daughter to her first day of school. This is a product of the Mayor’s Compact with the school system. The quality of the facility is an indication that the quality of learning will be enhanced and that student achievement should be increased.” The nearly $16 million Holmes Elementary School project accommodates 573 students in grades Pre-K – 5. The facility incorporates 54,342 square feet of new construction and 11,370 square feet of renovations, includes classroom buildings, a media/art pavilion, and a complete site redevelopment of new playfields, hard courts, physical education shelter and drop-off areas. The Holmes Elementary project is one of the capital improvement projects included in the City of Miami Education Compact. The 5-year Compact began in 2004 and eveloped from Mayor Diaz’s commitment to Holmes Elementary through the Mayor’s Mentoring Initiative. This initiative has led to strong community collaboration with the school district to provide additional services to the students and the community, such as free after-school programming and Saturday Academy. ### 07-FMN/171/jjs |
