A groundbreaking event was held Tuesday for the new Cartwright Elementary School at 1753 Fairfield Pike. 

The 23-acre plot, which the school will sit on, was owned by Bobby “Hoss” Cartwright and his wife Jane Louise, the parents of Suzy Cartwright Johnson. She said her parents bought the land at auction in the 1970s, wanting to use it for farming purposes. 

While at the groundbreaking, Johnson said, “I was just sitting here remembering the day they bought it at auction; I’m thinking they wanted something good to come of this.

“My parents were very involved in the community, and I think they would be so proud. They loved children, they loved the community, and they wanted to see good things come to all people,” she said, holding back a few tears. 

The school system approached Johnson about buying the property in the late summer of 2021. “I knew this is what it was destined to be because of all the elements it needed, utilities and location were here,” she said. The location also has ideal access to Highway 437 Bypass. 

Growth in progress

School board chair Michael Cook said there is no doubt Bedford County is “moving at a fast pace.” 

“We’re building a $40 million school within the city limits of Shelbyville, that’s great,” said Cook. He said the board’s goal is to get students out of portables.

Cartwright Elementary is planned to open in August 2024 and hold over 800 students. At 113,000 square feet, it will be two stories and will be large enough to get students out of portables, Superintendent Tammy Garrett said in an earlier meeting. It will relieve the portables at Eakin and East Side elementaries, leaving Southside and Liberty left to address later on, according to Garrett.  

Officials hope to have a principal named in January 2024.