Southfield Public Schools honors legacy of McIntyre Elementary

SOUTHFIELD/LATHRUP VILLAGE — Southfield Public Schools celebrated the legacy of McIntyre Elementary School on March 26 as the district gears up to close the building as a school.

As part of the 2022 capital bond, Southfield Public Schools is working on resizing the district, and part of that effort includes closing McIntyre Elementary as a school building at the conclusion of the school year. It will be reutilized as a community center, with an anticipated opening date in 2030.

Southfield Public Schools will be using funds from its 2022 capital bond to repurpose McInytre into a community center. The district plans to connect the campus to the nearby University K-12 campus, located at 19301 W. 12 Mile Road in Lathrup Village, which will be undergoing renovations as well.

The combined cost of these two projects will be $120 million.

Southfield Public Schools wanted to recognize the impact of McIntyre Elementary School.

“It’s very emotional to close any school,” Superintendent Jennifer Green said. “They are the heartbeat of the community, which is why it was important for the district to have this celebration.”

The legacy ceremony had speeches from Southfield Public Schools administration, performances by the Birney Dance Team and Southfield Public Schools teacher and award-winning saxophonist Randy Scott. Additionally, the public had the opportunity to write down memories and comments that were then sealed in a time capsule, which will be reopened in 2036.

Jennifer Snow is a parent whose three children attended McIntyre Elementary School. She said she thinks the community center is a good use for the building once it closes.

Snow said she is sad to see the school close because it held many great memories for her and her children.

“McIntyre had a great educational family, and I was very confident that my kids were receiving a good education,” she said. “It really felt more like a family than just a school.”

Angie Twiss is a third grade teacher at McIntyre Elementary and has spent approximately 10 years of her 25-year teaching career in the building. She said it will be hard to leave the school and her students once the building is closed.

“Our students will be taken care of no matter where they go,” Twiss said. “But of course, it’s sad. We’ve been a great community for many years.”

Staff from McIntyre will be transferred to different schools throughout Southfield Public Schools.

Orlando Bogins is the principal at McIntyre Elementary and has been in the position for the last two years. He said it’s hard to say goodbye to a school like McIntyre.

“It’s disappointing to see a wonderful school like McIntyre close, but I understand the reason why,” he said.

Bogins said he trusts that the students and staff will be well taken care of wherever they end up after McIntyre closes.

Kimberly Beckwith was the previous principal of McIntyre and held the position for 15 years. She said that McIntyre is her home.

“It’s bittersweet, but I know great things will come when it’s a community center,” she said.

Green said turning McIntyre into a community center was one of the pillars of the district’s 2022 capital bond. She said the district wanted to focus on what it can give back to the community.

The community center will be used for community, senior and after-school programming. There will be opportunities for members of the public to voice what they want to see in the community center. The dates for these meetings are yet to be determined.

Additionally, the opening of the community center will coincide with the completion of the new University K-12 Academy building, as the two campuses will be connected.