COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) – Classes have started! The Mary A. Buckner Academy is officially open to the public.

The new Mary A. Buckner Academy has finally opened its doors to the public and many people are excited about this new addition to Fountain City.

The academy was named after the first black female judge in Columbus, Mary A. Buckner. The Buckner family thanked the community for remembering such a Columbus trailblazer. Naomi Buckner, Mary Buckner’s sister, says she is glad the academy is named after her sister and is located in the same neighborhood where they grew up.

“I’m excited about today. I’m very excited to see the community come together to celebrate the opening of the new school and its naming,” Buckner said.

Principal LaTonya Hamilton of St. Mary’s Magnet School says she is honored to be the academy’s first president and hopes to continue the legacy of Mary A. Buckner

“We are ready to establish this brand new legacy and these brand new traditions. We will provide an excellent education to all students who enroll here and ensure that the school is the best in the country,” said Principal Hamilton.

Second-grade teacher Alex Shockley says he wants to motivate his students to be as hardworking as Mary A. Buckner.

“I’m excited because I get to be part of a community that makes people think, ‘Wow, you’re going to Mary Buckner Academy.’ It’s an honor to have her. Judge Buckner was an amazing woman and I hope they can live up to the legacy that the school is named after and I know they can,” Shockley said.

St. Mary’s and Dawson Elementary School were merged to form the three-story academy on Kennedy St. behind Dawson Elementary School.

Parents wishing to enroll their child in the Academy must provide a utility bill, rental agreement, or other proof that the child resides in the Mary A. Buckner District if interested in enrolling.

All rights reserved.