Alcova Elementary School

     Alcova Elementary School is named for the area’s former Alcova School. The naming of this school, which opened in August 2004, honors the teachers, students, and community members of the Dacula area. The need for Alcova came as a result of rapid growth in the Dacula Cluster. The school was one of the projects built from the 2002 Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST).

    Today’s Alcova Elementary is a far cry from the original Alcova School, which had two rooms and a cloak room. The “old” school had two teachers and 84 students in seven grades. Resources included homemade desks, a good blackboard, some maps, a globe, and three reference dictionaries.

     The school’s enrollment has grown over the years, reaching more than 1,400 students in 2018. To serve the growing enrollment, the school facility has expanded from the 90,453 square foot, 37-classroom facility built in 2004 to the 143,983 square foot, 72-classroom facility that serves students today.

    Another change that occurred since the school’s opening affected its school colors and mascot. The school departed from its original colors of red and navy and its cardinal mascot, adopting the navy and gold falcons associated with the Dacula Cluster. The school’s first staff and 5th grade student council members came up with the school’s motto: Learning Together Every Day. This focus on learning has benefitted students in a number of ways. The school provides extended learning time through after-school programs, a successful mentoring program that partners students with volunteers from the community, and a thriving parent center. The school’s work has paid off in numerous student, staff, and school honors, including being named a Georgia Department of Education Reward School in the Highest Progress category for several years. This award honors schools among the top 10% of Title I schools in the state making the most progress in improving performance of the “all students” group over three years on statewide assessments. The Georgia Department of Education also recognized Alcova as a 2016 Beating the Odds School for performing better than statistically expected on the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) for the 2015–16 school year. In addition, the school’s environmental education efforts have won it recognition as a Taking Action Green & Healthy School from Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful. Students also benefit from the school’s active National Junior Beta Club and from a partnership with the Gwinnett Environmental Heritage Center that promotes STEM education.

     Much has changed since Alcova Elementary first opened its doors in 2004. However, this school which has strong roots in the community has remained constant in its commitment to serving students. In June 2004, the first staff members of the school set forth their commitments, writing:

• We commit to providing instruction based on each individual student’s emotional and academic needs.
• We commit to creating a positive, safe, non-threatening environment.
• We commit to establishing a positive school culture that fosters learning.
• We commit to providing a positive and respectful environment created by modeling appropriate procedures and high expectations.
• We commit to being team players who foster respect, compassion, and understanding.
• We commit to providing and maintaining high expectations consistently throughout our learning environment.
• We commit to establishing a community of lifelong learners.

     While the staff members who crafted these commitments may no longer teach at the school, their words and dedication to Alcova students still resonate with today’s school community