About Hammett L. Bowen, Jr. Elementary
Vision Statement
At Hammett L. Bowen, Jr. Elementary, everyone works together to build relationships in order to provide rigorous and relevant learning for ALL students.
Mission Statement
At Hammett L. Bowen, Jr. Elementary, our mission is to build a school that will focus on success; a school that celebrates diversity while strengthening the common thread that binds us. Hammett L. Bowen, Jr. Elementary school will become a model for a strong school and community program dedicated to building the "whole child."
History and Profile
Hammett L. Bowen, Jr. Elementary, built at a cost of $20 million, opened in August 2006 and features two stories with more than 50 classrooms plus a cafeteria/auditorium, media center, music and art rooms, and a central lobby area dedicated to honoring the school’s namesake. Built to handle 850 students, the school exceeded its projected enrollment of 667 by more than 14 percent in its first week.
The school is named for Hammett L. Bowen, Jr., Marion County’s only Medal of Honor recipient. Bowen died June 27, 1969, when he hurled himself on a grenade in the Binh Duong Province of Vietnam. His heroic actions saved the lives of three of his men, and he was just 21 years old when he died. Bowen attended and graduated from Marion County public schools.
Drawing from an attendance area that includes rural, suburban, and urban populations, Hammett L. Bowen, Jr. has a very diverse cultural, ethnic and economic profile which enhances the school's mission to enable every child to meet with success. A large portion of this diverse picture includes students from Hispanic, Asian, and African-American backgrounds; this ethnic diversity is also reflected throughout our staff. 52% of our students are on free or reduced lunch.
Special programs to be offered at Hammett L. Bowen, Jr. Elementary, which is a school-wide Title I school. The media center provides at-home access to on-line reference materials as well as resources found in the school media center. The Marion County Comprehensive Guidance Program is part of the school-wide programs offered.
Colors and Mascot
Our school colors are red, white, and blue. Our mascot is a bear.
Important Documents