The Elizabeth Duncan Koontz School was built to take students and staff from eight overcrowded elementary schools in the Rowan-Salisbury district and first opened for students in August 2006. From the beginning faculty and parents agreed that their vision for this school was that it would be a place, which would lay ��the foundation for life-long learning and responsible citizenship in a positive, nurturing environment.� They also agreed �the mission of Elizabeth Duncan Koontz Elementary School is to meet the learning needs of all children through positive, supportive interactions and professionally esteemed practices. It is also to promote and instill values of character consistent with the highest ideals of our republic.�

We have not yet fully met the lofty vision we have for ourselves, nor have we achieved our mission with all of our children. However, we are more committed than ever to press on toward the fulfillment of the promise that American public education makes that all of our children should be successful learners and responsible citizens. We are agreed that every child is of infinite worth, and that all children are capable of learning.

Now in our second year, we have made some adjustments in our scheduling and in our use of instructional personnel in order to make it easier to differentiate instruction to meet the unique learning needs of students, and to make the most efficient uses of our resources, including time, personnel and space. Our dedicated and talented teachers and support personnel are working very hard to make the instructional experiences interesting and relevant to all learners through the creative use of technology and other tools. The children, in turn, are learning the habits and skills that enable them to learn and perform well now and in the future. Our children�s parents� interest and attention help motivate students and staff alike to higher levels of achievement. The community, through several churches, agencies, foundations, and businesses provides the staff and students with much moral and material support. Indeed, The responsibility for teaching our children is a joint one between the home, community, and the school.

I invite anyone who wants to know what Koontz Elementary is really like to come visit us. I will be proud to introduce you to children who are eager, active learners, and to let you experience the quality lessons taught by creative, well-educated professionals. Be prepared to want to stay on to be part of the excitement and wonder that comes with seeing beautiful children overcome many obstacles to experience the possibilities that are theirs in this twenty-first century.

Dr. Robert V. Heffern, Principal