SDMS breaks ground for new gymnasium

“It’s a great day for Dale County Schools,” said Ben Baker as he kicked off the official ground breaking for a new gymnasium on the campus of South Dale Middle School in Pinckard Oct. 15.

Baker is the Superintendent of Dale County Schools and he was among those attending the ground breaking ceremony for the gym.

Construction on the new gymnasium started some months earlier but the COVID mandates and constraints prevented the ground breaking until now.

Dale County Middle School and Dale County Schools Central Office staff, Dale County Board of Education members, Dale County Commissioner Charles “Chic” Gary and State Rep. Steve Clouse were joined by a bevy of beauty queens at the ground breaking.

“We’ve invested almost $2 million on this campus in the last five years and it’s a good investment,” said Baker. “It’s a great school with great leadership, good teachers and employees.

“I want to thank the board for supporting the vision of providing the very best facilities for our schools,” Baker added. “When I took office five years ago, we started here in South Dale Middle School and invested over $1 million in renovations to the school. Since then we’ve impacted every campus so it’s good to see we’ve gone full circle at South Dale Middle School in making this investment for our students.

“We’re excited abut the opportunities that it brings to our students for our physical education department and also excited about what it’s going to provide for visitors to our campus with the concessions and public bathrooms, new weight room, the new flooring and bleachers in our gymnasium,” Baker added. “We’re just excited about the opportunities that this is going to create for our students—because it’s always all about the students.”

DCMS Principal Dr. Perry Dillard thanked the board and Baker for their ongoing support of the school.

“Father, we thank you for the leadership that the superintendent, school board, administrator, staff and faculty provide for not only this school but all of our Dale County Schools,” said Pinckard Baptist Church Senior Pastor Chris Woodall. “We pray your continued blessings on them.”