Liftoff! After four years, Oscar Patterson Academy returns from Hurricane Michael damage

Samantha Neely, The News Herald
·2 min read

PANAMA CITY  — A beloved Bay County school has reopened after being closed for almost four years.

Oscar Patterson Academy opened its doors to students once again on Wednesday after damage from Hurricane Michael forced them shut in October 2018.

"We are thrilled to welcome students back to Oscar Patterson Academy today and so excited to build new memories and traditions with our Rockets," Bay District Schools officials said in a statement to The News Herald. "We’re so grateful to all of the district staff and others who came to help today run as smoothly as possible and we know our amazing staff appreciate them too. It was a great first day and we’re excited to get this year underway."

Buses line up in front of Oscar Patterson Academy after the first day of classes on Wednesday.
Buses line up in front of Oscar Patterson Academy after the first day of classes on Wednesday.

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The academy, located on Redwood Avenue, started Wednesday with kindergarten through second grade, but will integrate a new grade every year through grade 5. The renovated academy features a new library, new lighting, new air conditioning, new carpets and innovative technology for the students.

The school changed its name from Oscar Patterson Magnet Elementary School to Oscar Patterson Academy in August 2021.

Emma York talks about her entry in the logo design contest for Oscar Patterson Elementary on Feb. 3. Emma's design of a rocket launching was chosen to represent the academy.
Emma York talks about her entry in the logo design contest for Oscar Patterson Elementary on Feb. 3. Emma's design of a rocket launching was chosen to represent the academy.

To prep for the school's return and amp up community involvement, Oscar Patterson officials held a logo design contest earlier this year. The winner was Emma York, a Jinks Middle School student who drew a green and yellow rocket lifting off the ground.

"It had all the smoke around the bottom of it and it was shooting upward and it was the right colors," Oscar Patterson Principal Charlotte Blue said on Feb. 7 at the logo unveiling. "It just had everything that we wanted for Patterson, going in the right direction and doing all of things that we thought about. So, that's how we ended up choosing that one."

District and Oscar Patterson officials have voiced their excitement about the return of the school, saying they are ready to start this new chapter.

“(Officials) were worried when we were going through the academic struggles,” Blue said on Jan. 12. “We made the progress. Now the community, for three years, has been without a school. So, we are ready to start over again and show the community, work with the community."

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Oscar Patterson Academy in Panama City reopens 4 years after Michael