By Tracy McCormick-Dishman
Hallowes Cove Academy opened its doors this month as St. John’s County’s newest school, serving kindergarten through seventh grade students in the Rivertown community. The school will add eighth grade next year to become a full K-8 academy.
The decision to start without eighth grade allows current eighth graders from feeder schools to finish their final year at their home schools, said Lauren O’Shell, an instructional coach at the school.
“The eighth graders that we’re getting come from Swiss Point, Freedom Crossing, and Cunningham Creek, and it’s so that the eighth graders can finish their year at the school that they had been at,” O’Shell said. “We’re not going to move them before they’re graduating.”
The school draws teachers from those three feeder schools as well as educators from across the district and out of state. Throughout the summer, new staff participated in team-building events before the building became available in July.
Despite being new, Hallowes Cove offers a full range of middle school electives including art, band, Spanish, yearbook, musical theater, and digital tools classes.
“All of those are electives that we have in middle school, which is pretty rare for a brand new school to have enough teachers and students to kind of make that mix,” O’Shell said.
The school mascot is the Hurricanes, and the academy developed mission and vision statements during summer planning sessions.
Community rallies around new school
Principal Jessley Hathaway, who came from Osceola Elementary, began meeting with community members in May to establish a Parent Teacher Organization. The PTO has already demonstrated remarkable support.
During pre-planning week, PTO members and community volunteers assembled and delivered more than 100 cube organizers to classrooms, ensuring every student has their own cubby space. Volunteers responded within two days of the request being posted.
“They had enough volunteers of just random community members to come and do that,” O’Shell said. “The PTO has already had lunches and breakfast for the staff.”
The community support extends to local businesses, with the school’s spirit wear company operating within the Rivertown area.
“Even our spirit wear company is a company within the community, which is cool because it’s just kind of like the community is giving back,” O’Shell said.
Principal Hathaway expressed his enthusiasm for leading the new school and serving the Rivertown community.
“This is an amazing community. They’ve been supportive the whole time. I’m blessed to have this opportunity to lead this school and serve this population,” Hathaway said. “Welcome to Hallowes Cove. Go Hurricanes!”
The school serves families in the Rivertown development and surrounding area. As the academy grows to include eighth grade next year, it will provide a complete K-8 educational experience for local families who chose the area partly because of the planned school.
