BRYAN, Texas — Many school districts are returning to school this week, including the Brazos Valley.
In Bryan Independent School District, they are opening its newest school,O.W. Sadberry Intermediate.
District officials explain the need for a third intermediate school and the hope the Sadberry family has for our future generation.
Oliver Wayne Sadberry Sr., a long-time educator in Bryan ISD, paved the way for many teachers and kids in the community.
Dr. Halcyon Watkins is a daughter of O.W. Sadberry Sr.
She hopes this school will create a pipeline for success for students.
“Oh gosh, this is great,” Dr. Watkins said. “This is a real learning center. You’re going to see some great things come from these kids.”
After reaching capacity at the previous two intermediate schools in Bryan ISD with fifth graders, a bond for the new school was passed by taxpayers in November 2020.
“Instead of this large jump from fourth grade to fifth grade, let’s do the stairsteps with a smaller one, so we’re opening up Sadberry,” said Paul Buckner, Director of Construction & Energy Management in Bryan ISD. “Sadberry was built for a core of 1,000 students, so our main areas are our cafeteria, our library, our gymnasiums.”
Alfred Scott is taking the reigns as Sadberry Intermediate's first principal.
He spent many years as a student and teacher at Bryan ISD.
“Mr. Scott has tremendous shoes to fill with his [O.W. Sadberry Sr.] legacy that he’s had in this community but I think he’s up for the challenge,” Buckner said.
“They couldn’t have had a better person to be the first principal for this school,” Dr. Watkins said. “I know he’s going to do a beautiful job. He’s going to have good teachers and then they’re going to produce those wonderful children.”
“I remember interviewing for the position and just thinking, you know it’d be great if I got that school because I would love to carry on the legacy that he started and so when I got the call that night that I was going to be named principal of this school, it was like the best feeling in the world,” principal Scott said.
Mr. Scott is filled with joy and excitement. He’s looking forward to making sure the legacy of the Sadberry family lives on, one student at a time.
“Being a teacher and relating to kids, that’s going to pay dividends in this role as principal because my number one goal as principal is to build relationships with students,” Scott said.
The Sadberry family says this momentous occasion goes beyond the classroom walls.
“We’ll go and train our younger family members of the history of the Sadberry name, the Sadberry legacy, and the Sadberry farm,” said Dolores Connor, a Sadberry family member.
“I am so honored,” said Patricia Bradley, a cousin of the Sadberry family. “This school is simply beautiful. Because of the fruit that he [O.W. Sadberry Sr.] produced in yesteryears and now look. This is wonderful and really a blessing.”
To ultimately give students the pride to reach for the sky.
“He was a well-known, nice, spiritual man because all of the whole family is that,” Gloria White, another cousin of the Sadberry family.
“Leaving a legacy is important to me and I think that it’s huge and the impact that we can make on students and set the culture this first year,” Scott said. “That to me is everything, honestly.”
As tears fill her eyes, Dr. Watkins knows her father would be proud of this school and the community.
“I know he’s happy, and I know my momma is standing there saying ‘Oliver, you see what those kids did for you,'” Dr. Watkins said.
The late Oliver Wayne Sadberry Jr. received the 2023 Global Change Maker award for creating and leading a mission to honor his father, O.W. Sadberry Sr.
The district will hold a dedication ceremony for the family on August 30.