Norris School District

Norris School District is an elementary school district in Bakersfield, California.

Norris School District

Norris school district logo
Established: 1880
Location/Schools: Bakersfield, California
Norris Middle School
Norris Elementary
Olive Drive Elementary
William B. Bimat Elementary
Veterans Elementary
Staff: Mrs. Kelly Miller, Superintendent
Mr. Darren Grisham, Administrator of Business and Personnel
Mr. Jonathan Boles, Administrator of Student Services
Mrs. Chantel Mebane, Administrator of Curriculum

Norris School District was established in 1880, when farmer, Robert Norris, donated land to the Norris School District in Northwest Bakersfield.[1] The school district has grown in size since then, but its philosophies are much the same. There are currently four elementary schools: Norris Elementary, Olive Drive Elementary, William B. Bimat Elementary, and Veterans Elementary (opened in fall 2007).[2] There is only one middle school, Norris Middle School, but the district has plans to build two new elementaries and one new middle school within the next ten years, depending on housing growth in the area.

In the 90's Norris School District received a Golden Bell Award for their library program.

Schools

With the growth of the school district, there have been three new schools built in the past decade.

Norris Elementary School
The original Norris School building constructed in 1882, presently located at Kern County Museum

At first the Norris School was taught in a house of a local woman in 1880, however the Norris School was built in 1882 near Rosedale on land donated by Robert Norris, a local farmer. For 32 years, students in grades eight through one (at that time, children actually progressed from the highest to lowest grades) learned the three R's here. They also received moral and religious teachings through methods that relied heavily on rote and recitation. A teacher of a one-room school was expected to teach all eight grades as well as to serve as custodian, nurse, and disciplinarian, all for relatively little pay. The teachers at Norris School were fortunate in that one of the trustees of the district provided wood for the stove. In 1915, the school was rebuilt and it was much larger. Again in the 1950s it was reconstructed and again for the final time in 1980. In 2005 the school was moved to a new location for the middle school to have more room for more students. (In 2005 there were at least 3 students new to the Middle School every week.) Current principal is Erin Hudson. The school's mascot is the Squire.

Norris Middle School

Norris Middle School was established in 1959 on part of the elementary school's property. In 1983 a new addition to the campus separated the middle school from the elementary. Both schools continued growing and in 2005 Norris Elementary said goodbye to its historical campus and was moved out to Old Farm Road, leaving the entire campus to the Middle School (with the exception of one wing which still houses the District Offices). The band, directed by Walter Crider, recently won an Outstanding Music Award, And the choir, directed by Amanda Isaac, won an Excellent Music Award. As of the 2015-2016 school year, Norris Middle's principal is Ryan Carr. This school is the district's only middle school, and its mascot is the Knight.

Olive Drive Elementary

Olive Drive Elementary was built in 1988 and opened in 1989. Due to growth within the District, nine additional classrooms were added in 2003. A new library was completed in 2014, named the "Richard P. Pierucci Library" in honor of the past superintendent that served in the district for 36 years. This school teaches grades Kindergarten through Grade 6, and the current principal is Lisa Limpias. The school mascot is the Trail Blazer.

William B. Bimat Elementary

William B. Bimat is an elementary school in the Norris School District, which teaches classes K-6. This school was opened in 2001-2002 school year, and the current principal is Michele Bryant. The school mascot is the Bulldog.

Veterans Elementary

Veterans elementary is the district's newest school. It opened on August 20, 2007. The school's current principal is Russellyn Sullivan. The school colors are Red,White, and Blue. The school is very patriotic and supports the veterans and does a lot of things to help the community and support their veterans. The school now has a pledge to vow to always support their troops and never take them for granted. The school mascot is the Eagle.

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References
  1. Kirkland, Jerry (2010). School District Origins in Kern County, California (PDF). Kern County Superintendent of Schools. pp. 133–134.
  2. "Norris School District - About Us". Retrieved 2019-04-12.
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