No Place Like The Glade
Last Spring, Bethany Wilson, Principal of Gladeville Middle School, and her team were preparing to welcome hundreds of new students into their new school ‘home.’ One phrase that was constantly being repeated was ‘There’s no place like the Glade.’ It was their take on Dorothy’s quote from the Wizard of Oz.
Much like Dorothy’s home in Kansas, Gladeville Middle School is nestled in the middle of beautiful farmland. There are acres of trees, wildlife, cows, chickens and so much more. Plus, the Gladeville community is similar to the friendly characters in the movie.
“We are looking into ways to implement that phrase in the future. I have some ideas,” beams Wilson. “There really is no place like this area, It’s the people here, the businesses, the churches, and their support and the beauty of it.”
Wilson was a ‘Military brat’ growing up. Her dad’s Air Force career moved them around a lot, even as far as Rome, Italy. Her dad retired from the military and became a school principal.
In 2010, she made her home here in Wilson County where she taught English at Wilson Central until 2015 when she was named Assistant Principal for West Wilson Middle School. Wilson loved working with the students and faculty there but a wonderful opportunity presented itself last Fall. It was time to follow her dad’s footsteps. She set forth a vision of where she wanted to take GMS and clearly they loved it.
In January of this year, Wilson clicked her heels together and was ‘home’ at Gladeville Middle School. She and her team had seven months to follow the path and get things ready for all of the ‘munchkins’ to come into their brand-new school.
Stepping into this school can almost feel like following the yellow brick road into The Emerald City: state-of-the-art, with some of the best technology. Each student has an assigned Chromebook that they leave at school at the end of the day. All classrooms have a large television that they use as a touch-screen computer. Gone are the days of chalkboards and whiteboards.
Their Z-Space Technology Lab has a 3D Augmented Reality space where students put on 3D glasses and learn Science, Architecture, Robotics, and more. Sorry parents, these classes are strictly for Middle Schoolers.
The Arts Department has a large auditorium with a great sound system, perfect for plays and concerts. It’s a great place for The Lollipop Kids to perform, or The Show Stoppers (GMS Drama Club.) The Band and Choir are even equipped with individual practice rooms. (No parents allowed for these lessons, either. But you can get your lessons at Shiloh Music Center.)
The Art room is huge, has a potter’s wheel and even a kiln for firing and glazing ceramics. ‘I imagine that some moms and dads will be getting ceramic presents this year,” laughs Wilson.
There is a long list of clubs and sponsors on the website. Your child won’t be able to sign up to represent the ‘Lollipop Guild,’ but there are many other clubs they can enjoy. They wouldn’t want to be in that guild anyway. I hear their flying monkey problem is worse than the mosquitoes in the South.
“Walk the halls of this building and you will get smiles and high-fives everywhere you go. When they walk through our doors, we want them to know how valuable they are. That is what we are aiming for, whether it be our car-line or our greeting at the door,” shared Wilson.
‘I think what’s best about Wilson County is that, even though we are growing, we still have a small-town feel at the heart of it.—-the people come together behind causes all of the time,” explained Wilson. “This is the type of place where if you see a student in need, there are probably five people instantly that you can call and say ‘Hey, I need a backpack for this kid or a week of meals for this family.”
