In Celina, growth is nothing new, but the way the community honors its roots is what makes it special. As new neighborhoods take shape and families continue to put down roots, Celina ISD is preparing to welcome the next generation of students with three new elementary schools, all set to open in fall 2027.
Each school has been named after an individual whose story is deeply connected to Celina. For many longtime residents, these are not just names, but familiar faces, mentors, and friends who left a lasting mark on local schools and families.
The new campuses are part of Celina ISD’s long range plan to keep up with the city’s rapid growth, ensuring students have access to high quality education in modern, thoughtfully designed spaces. Funded through voter-approved bond dollars, the schools are a direct reflection of the community’s continued investment in students and their future. District leaders say choosing the names was just as important as building the schools themselves.
After gathering input from the Facility Naming Committee, Celina ISD officially announced the three new campuses:
Alma Jo Scott Elementary School, located in Uptown
Ophelia Grumbles Elementary School, located in Green Meadows
Janet H. Calvert Elementary School, located in the Ramble neighborhood
Alma Jo Scott Elementary School
For many in Celina, Alma Jo Scott is a name that already feels like home. After dedicating 38 years to Celina ISD, she became known as one of the original “Bobcat Moms,” serving as a steady and supportive presence for students, families, and staff alike. Her impact was not just measured in years, but in relationships, traditions, and the sense of community she helped create.
Naming a school after her feels, to many, like a natural extension of the role she has always played. When she first learned the news, it did not come the way anyone expected. A carefully planned surprise turned into a heartfelt family moment when her children and grandchildren gathered in her home and gently shared the honor with her. “I never once thought about it,” she said. “It just never entered my mind.”
Her path into education was not planned either. It began as a temporary job that turned into a decades long career. Along the way, she became the first face many new families saw when they arrived in Celina, welcoming them with warmth and helping them feel at home. Even now, she hopes the school that bears her name will be a place where students feel safe, known, and cared for, just as generations before them did.
In many ways, her legacy is already part of Celina, and the new Alma Jo Scott Elementary School gives it a place to live on for generations to come.
Ophelia Grumbles Elementary School
Long before Celina’s recent growth, Ophelia Grumbles was helping shape young minds in a very different era. She began teaching in Celina in the late 1930s and spent most of her career in the district, becoming a beloved teacher to generations of students. During World War II, she stepped away from the classroom to support her husband, later returning to continue the work she clearly loved.
Her story is one of dedication to education, family, and community. That legacy did not stop with her. The Grumbles' name has remained closely tied to Celina through generations of involvement and service.
For her grandson, Brandon Grumbles, the recognition feels both meaningful and fitting. “Before Celina grew so rapidly, it was hard to find someone she had not taught,” he shared. “People still tell me stories about being in her class and the impact she had on them.”
Many of those memories center around a simple daily tradition, reading The Bobbsey Twins aloud after lunch, giving students a moment to settle in and something to look forward to each day.
That same pride is shared across the family. Her daughter, Karol Grumbles Omlor, tells us, "Randy and I are very happy for our mother. The school is a visible impact she made on others throughout her life. If she were alive today, she would be very surprised, very honored, and very happy." Through her family’s memories, her influence continues to ripple forward, now reaching students she will never meet, but undoubtedly inspires.
Janet H. Calvert Elementary School
Janet H. Calvert’s connection to Celina ISD spans both career and calling. A lifelong resident, she dedicated more than 30 years to the district as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal. Even after retirement, she never really left, continuing to volunteer in classrooms and stay connected to the students and staff she cared so deeply about. Her story is one of quiet consistency, showing up, investing in others, and leading with heart.
When she found out a school would bear her name, the moment caught her completely off guard. During what she thought was a routine podcast recording for Celina’s anniversary, her family surprised her with the announcement. Her reaction was simple disbelief. “Did I hear that right?” she recalled.
Throughout her career, she found her greatest joy in the classroom, especially teaching first grade, where she loved watching students grow and discover a love of learning. Even in retirement, she returned weekly to volunteer, helping young readers build confidence and fluency. For Mrs. Calvert, staying involved was about giving back to a district that had given her so much while staying close to the students who made it meaningful. For those who know her, it is no surprise, because for Janet Calvert, education was never just a job.
As these schools prepare to open their doors in 2027, they will do more than welcome students. They will carry forward the stories of the people who helped shape Celina into what it is today. For the families who walk these halls in the years ahead, these names will become part of everyday life. A reminder that even as Celina grows, it never loses sight of the people who made it feel like home.