It's hard to imagine a tractor having to pull a school bus out of the mud on Pounds Road, where Mountain Park School opened with 14 classrooms in 1966. It was a dirt road back then in an area that would quickly be developed into one of the fastest growing suburban areas in the country.
Pounds Road, which connects to Five Forks-Trickum Road just a half-mile from the school, is now a busy thoroughfare with well-manicured lawns lining its way.
Along the way, Mountain Park Elementary School has grown into one of the more respected elementary schools in the Gwinnett County system, with high marks in parental involvement and standardized testing.
The school, a past winner of the Excellence in English and Georgia School of Excellence awards, consistently meets and often beats the county averages in Criterion-Referenced Content Tests (CRCT) scores.
The school has received numerous awards for its students efforts through the American Red Cross. Parent involvement through the PTA has resulted in frequent events to promote academics, such as Reading Night, Math Night and Science Night.
A Parkview High School cluster school, Mountain Park's principal Valerie Robinett has been there since 2008.