North Gwinnett Middle School

North Gwinnett Middle School (NGMS) opened in August of 2009, providing much-needed relief to the schools in the fast-growing North Gwinnett Cluster. The students and staff who became a part of North Gwinnett Middle School were rezoned to the new school from Lanier Middle School. And for some, the journey to the new school included several locations. In fact, for the 8th graders who attended North Gwinnett Middle School the opening of North Gwinnett Middle marked their third school in three years... they attended the old Lanier Middle School facility on Buford Highway, moved to the new Lanier Middle School facility located on Suwanee Dam Road, and then landed at North Gwinnett Middle for their final year in middle school. The opening of this new middle school on the heels of the opening of the new facility for Lanier Middle School in 2008 prepared the cluster for the coming split into two clusters that was scheduled to occur when Lanier High School opened in 2010.

The new middle school had 106 classrooms, covered 241,350 square feet and was constructed for just over $24.1 million. The facility was formally dedicated on October 18, 2009, in a ceremony that involved the entire community. The ceremony included the North Gwinnett High School Air Force Junior ROTC Color Guard and North Gwinnett Cluster Cub Scouts from the new middle school’s feeder schools— Level Creek Elementary, Riverside Elementary, and Suwanee Elementary. (Roberts Elementary opened later and also feeds into NGMS.) Principal Wanda Law addressed students, parents, community members, mayors and community leaders, School Board representatives, and others delivering a message that foretold the future of this school. Her remarks were titled “The Tradition Begins.”

The school immediately set its sights on achieving a mission to pursue excellence in all areas by providing rigorous academics, developing leadership, fostering creativity, and empowering students with the skills to succeed in an ever-changing society through apartnership between students, parents, faculty, and staff. This focus has helped the school garner numerous accolades in its brief history. For example, its Fine Arts program has sent numerous groups to perform at national festivals. The school’s Latin program rigorously prepares students for high school and the National Latin Exam... in fact, numerous students have earned perfect scores on this exam. The school provides numerous leadership opportunities for students through clubs, DECA, and student council. In addition, the school is noted as a top performer in the county and state in terms of student achievement. North Gwinnett Middle School has been recognized by the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement as a Highest Performing School and a Greatest Gains School under Georgia’s Single Statewide Accountability System.

A key to North Gwinnett Middle’s success has been its outstanding staff. Staff members are leaders in their profession. For example, in 2013–14, the Georgia Middle School Association named Teacher Rori Smith as Educator of the Year and NGMS’ 7th grade Team 21 teachers as one of four Teams of the Year in the state of Georgia. Principal Wanda Law was named Georgia Middle School Principal of the Year in 2013–14 by the Georgia Association of Secondary School Principals (GASSP). And in 2016–17, 8th grade teacher Cheri Nations won a $7,000 prize for her “innovative” teaching methods that will go toward a focus on STEAM education. Growth in the area has continued and consequently enrollment at North Gwinnett Middle continues to climb. In 2016, as the school’s enrollment grew to 2,300 students, a new 27-classroom addition opened, bringing the school’s number of classrooms to 133. In addition to new classrooms, the school also makes use of new technology as a tool to support teaching and learning.

North Gwinnett Middle School is a proud member of the North Gwinnett Cluster and works diligently to prepare its students for the next stage of their education at North Gwinnett High. It does so by setting a standard of excellence and creating a commitment to community. As a result, NGMS prepares its students to be academically independent thinkers, lifelong learners, and leaders in the global community. That’s part of the tradition that began in 2009 with the opening of this school and that is woven into the fabric of this community and the North Gwinnett Cluster.