Perhaps there could be no better testament to the old saying, “It takes a village to raise a child,” than the litany of remarks made at Friday’s dedication of the new Mineola Primary School.

Included among the speakers were Superintendent Cody Mize, Mayor Jayne Lankford, County Judge Kevin White and State Senator Bryan Hughes.

All are Mineola graduates.

The  campus on NE Loop 564 will welcome some 600 students for the first time on Thursday, Aug. 15, when Mineola ISD resumes classes.

“We could not be more excited,” Principal Jole Ray said of the primary staff, who have “Poured their love and heart into this campus.”

It was not just staff, she said, but families and friends who have helped put the school together in the past month.

The opening remarks were made to a standing-room only crowd in the new school’s cafetorium, followed by a ribbon cutting out front and then tours of the facility.

In his opening prayer, Demethrius Boyd of St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church spoke of the unity that the community has demonstrated, and how the Lord had utilized so many people and assets to make the project come together.

Mize recalled the genesis of the project, with a community facility committee trying to determine what could be built that was practical and honored the taxpayers.

“It would not have been possible without the board of trustees,” Mize said, who care about the community and the school kids.

The city was a great partner in the project, jumping into action to help clear hurdles, he said.

The district has a great relationship with Architect Perry Thompson along with Holland Engineering who designed the building.

It also takes a lot of work on the financial side, Mize said of financial advisor Steve Perry.

Then there is the team that builds it, from Jackson Construction, with roots in Quitman and Wood County.

Mize praised the efforts of the Meredith Foundation and the Mineola Educational Foundation who have been great supporters of the school district.

Then there are the people who make up the building and define its culture, the teachers and staff, who love kids and love people, and serve them to help better their lives, Mize remarked.

Mineola received tremendous support from friends across the region and the state, Mize noted.

No one individual he called out could do this alone, he said.

It was a community wide investment.

“You decided this was a worthy endeavor,” he said. Passing the bond issue of just under $30 million will support generations to come, he said, and the community did that at a time when it was tough to do so.

“It was a true community effort,” he concluded.

Board President Rodney Watkins said, “It is a great day to be a Yellowjacket.”

It has been a long time coming, he said. The last new campus opened in Mineola in 1986.

Former board president, the late John Abbott, was leading the board at the time the decision was made to build a new school.

”He would be so happy and thrilled,” Watkins said.

His widow, Janell Abbott, a retired Mineola teacher, did the honors of cutting the ribbon.

Lankford, whose youngest grandson will attend the school, said, “Mineola has done so well.”

She referenced the sign on the front of the building, “Home of the Little Jackets.”

“They teach school pride and school spirit from the get-go,” she said.

White said the campus is not just a shiny and new facility but a symbol that the community invests in the education of its children.

His grandchildren will also attend the school.

He called it the cornerstone, that starts here.

Hughes presented the district a Texas flag flown over the state capitol, and said for the first time, he signed the certificate, “MHS Class of 1987.”

Pastor John Thomas of First Methodist-Mineola closed with a prayer that the Lord inspire the students to seek knowledge and to be a light for the community.