Hillsdale Middle School

By News 5

Published: Wed, March 14, 2007 - 12:03 pm

The fight is on to save a middle school in West Mobile.

Some people who live in the Hillsdale community are upset about a proposal to move all of the students out of Hillsdale Middle School.

They're afraid what impact the move could have on an area that's poised for growth.

Under two proposals from the Mobile County School administrators, all students at Hillsdale Middle School would be moved to the new Shaw Middle School about two and a half miles away.

But school officials are planning to hold public hearings to get feedback, and resident Gary Hart says he wants to make his voice heard.

A non profit group has just launched a neighborhood revitalization program in Hillsdale and Hart says he wants to explain to school officials that"they would be hurting us with our revitalization project. We're not just building homes, we're trying to create a community of love,and a middle school in the middle of it is perfect."

Councilwoman Gina Gregory, who represents the area, also wants to see Hillsdale remain a middle school, especially in light of new homes being built here as part of the revitalization program.

Gregory said, "We think there will be anywhere from a hundred to possibly even two hundred children of middle school age moving into the Hillsdale community in the next three years."

Bessie Prowell and Eula Collins have lived in Hillsdale for more than 45 years.

Prowell said, "We don't want the school moved, period. We want to keep our school just as is."

Collins said,"I realize that we should not move it to Shaw, let it stay as it is. We want to build our community up."

Grace Wyatt is a tutor at Hillsdale Middle School.

She thinks it might be a good idea if Hillsdale students are moved to Shaw.

Wyatt said, "I think it (the school) is in a nice quiet place, but I think because of the age of it, there are some corrections that maybe need to be made.

The fate of Hillsdale Middle School may depend upon what the people who live in the area tell school administrators during those upcoming public hearings.

But no date has been set for the hearings as of yet.

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