Meadowcreek Elementary School

Meadowcreek Elementary is committed to educating children in the Norcross community. During the school’s charter year (1998–1999), Principal Connie Hoyle and her 125 staff members served approximately 1,100 students. Barbara Ergle and Dorothy Hines were the assistant principals. The school was built to relieve overcrowding at Hopkins, Nesbit, Lilburn, and Rockbridge elementary schools. It assumed the name of the cluster high school, which was named for the Meadows Family School and for the Creek Indians, both of which once were located near the site of the high school.

Meadowcreek Elementary is the first school in Gwinnett County to be funded by the 1997 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. The school was built as a two-story structure with an attached gym, a unique configuration for a Gwinnett elementary school at the time. The school also is uniquely positioned adjacent to the Norcross Human Services Center, providing parents increased opportunities to gain easy access to a range of social services.

Under the leadership of Principal Connie Hoyle, the HOSTS (Helping One Student to Succeed) program was established and received National Exemplary Status. In addition, the Successmaker Technology lab was launched to help individualize learning for EVERY student in the building while monitoring academic achievement through a robust data tool.

Meadowcreek Elementary grew from 1,100 students to a high of 1,470 during the 2004–05 school year. An addition was built at Hopkins Elementary to relieve the overcrowding at Meadowcreek. As a result, in 2006–07 Meadowcreek served approximately 950 students. Since 2007, the student enrollment has continued to increase each year. The school served 1,203 students in 2014–15. Graves Elementary School, a new school in the Meadowcreek Cluster, opened in August of 2015. This resulted in the shifting of students within the cluster to relieve overcrowding at several schools. This redistricting resulted in Meadowcreek returning to approximately the same number of students it opened with in 1998 (approximately 1,100 students).

The students who attend Meadowcreek Elementary are primarily Hispanic, and more than 64% are second language learners. The staff at Meadowcreek embraces diversity. One hallmark in helping support the school’s students and their families is the Parent Center. Meadowcreek has had a parent center in operation since 2000. Our Parent Center seeks ways to involve parents in the education of their children and provides much support through workshops, one-on-one assistance, and translation services.

Meadowcreek values the partnership it has with Vulcan. The Vulcan rock quarry is located less than one mile from Meadowcreek and is vested in the success of students and has members who serve on the Local School Council. Meadowcreek students visit the rock quarry to learn about rocks, minerals, etc. and to gain a better understanding of rock blasting.

The school’s staff is highly decorated, with many winning awards over the years. During the 2004–05 school year, Principal Margaret Ackerman was named Counselor Advocate of the Year for the county and the state. During the 2005–06 school year, ESOL Teacher Carol Issa was named as one of the top six finalists for Gwinnett Teacher of the Year. Counselor Kelly Cowart was named GCPS Elementary Counselor of the Year in 2006–07 and went on to earn the 2007 National Counselor of the Year. In 2010, Teacher Kelly Stopp was honored as one of the nation’s Milken Award winners.

In 2007, Kelly McCain was named principal, a position she held until becoming an Assistant Superintendent for Gwinnett County Public Schools in 2011. Under her leadership, the school continuously achieved Adequate Yearly Progress and qualified as a Georgia Title I Distinguished School for the sixth consecutive year. Juanita Daunoy became principal of Meadowcreek Elementary in February of 2012. She continued the long- standing commitment to literacy development started by previous leaders. Through her efforts the teachers learned how to implement small group instruction with a focus on meeting the needs of all students through differentiated instruction.

Principal Laurie Gardner joined the Meadowcreek team in October of 2014. Her vision for Meadowcreek Elementary builds upon the work of previous administrators by providing further differentiation and student engagement through the eCLASS initiative. She purchased six student laptops for every K–5 classroom and established communication systems that promote the use of teacher course pages to deliver instruction that extends from the school into student homes during her first year. Her continued focus on putting technology into the hands of the students and teaching them how to use these tools to feed their innovation and curiosity will help put Meadowcreek Elementary students on the right path for success in middle school, high school and beyond.

Meadowcreek Elementary is one of a handful of Gwinnett elementary schools that offers the very successful Dual Language Immersion Program. At Meadowcreek, the students in the program spend half of their day in class speaking English and the other half speaking Spanish. The goal of the immersion program is to support students in developing proficiency in both English and Spanish, while ensuring both academic achievement and intercultural competence.

Mrs. Gardner retired in December of 2018. Her successor, Adrienne Tedesco, continues the school’s long-standing focus on providing a safe, secure, positive environment where learning is child-centered; diversity is celebrated; and teamwork, professional growth, and community involvement are encouraged. The school and its staff are committed to connecting with each family and business partner in a manner that impacts the Meadowcreek community and makes a difference for students.

Today, as it has during its existence, Meadowcreek Elementary School is a welcoming school where its family of learners grow together to make a difference.