SJE principal and staff, GCCISD Superintendent, Board members and former students and employees of the campus gather together to celebrate the ribbon cutting of the new San Jacinto Elementary School.

JLP principal and staff, GCCISD Superintendent, Board members, Pumphrey family members and former students and employees of the campus gather together to celebrate the ribbon cutting of the new Jessie Lee Pumphrey Elementary School.

District Celebrates Opening of Two Newest Facilities with Ribbon Cuttings

By: Kristyn Hunt Cathey

Goose Creek CISD is on the fast track to growth. With 30 campuses and counting, the district is looking forward to servicing the needs of its 24,000 students for many years to come.

The district celebrated the ribbon cuttings of their two newest elementary campuses, Jessie Lee Pumphrey and San Jacinto Elementary Schools, on May 25th. Former and current student and staff members, members of the community, GCCISD Board members, Baytown City Council members, and district representatives were eager to tour the new facilities, including the Early Learning Academy wings.

The campuses have been staples in the Goose Creek community for many years. Pumphrey, which opened in June 1970, was the first campus named after a local individual. Ms. Pumphrey was the district’s first woman principal who began her career at De Zavala Elementary in 1928. The campus was closed on March 30, 2009. Members of the Baytown community spoke in favor of naming Elementary School #17 after Pumphrey, and May 17, 2021, the Board unanimously approved that decision. The campus is located in the middle of the newly-developed Ashbel Cove community. “I am so thankful that the Superintendent and Board saw fit to allow me to lead this campus,” Renee Meyer, Principal of Pumphrey, said. “Ms. Pumphrey’s legacy will live on in the students the campus will educate for years to come.”

San Jacinto Elementary School was built in 1930. The school was destroyed by fire in December of 1979 and rebuilt in 1982. Principal Luis Munoz was overwhelmed with emotion. “I am so grateful that I am able to lead the school where I once walked the halls as a student,” he said. “So many of us share the same sentiment and I know this campus will be a beacon of light for many years to come.”

Members of the Goose Creek Masonic Lodge #1192 performed dedication ceremonies for each campus and provided them with cornerstones that will be prominently fixed on the facility’s exterior.

San Jacinto and Pumphrey Elementary Schools will officially open their doors to students for the 2022-2023 school year.

Photos by Carrie Pryor-Newman