I Paul, Howard spread holiday joy See Page Bl Girl leads fundraiser for the homeless ?See Page A3 \0* The Chronicle ( > __ ... ?. o I ? ~ ? I ? ,x f - ? Volume39,Number 17 WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. THURSDAY, December 20, 2012 Ptotot by Layu Gums Dr. Tony Burton III introduces State Sen.-elect Ear line Parmon at the groundbreaking. Mudpies adding to Goler Depot growth BY LAYLA GARMS THE CHRONICLE After more than four years of planning and prepara tion, Northwest Child Development Centers broke ground on its newest facility, Mudpies Downtown East, on Dec. 12. The $3.4 million state-of-the-art facility will sit at the corner of Seventh Street and Patterson Avenue in the his toric Goler Depot community, which was once the center of Mack commerce in Winston-Salem. Founded in 1970, Northwest Child Development Lenten is a non profit organization responsible for the development and cue of hundreds of infants and chil dren in Forsyth, Davie and Stokes counties. Mudpies Downtown East will be its sixth < and largest facility < to date. Mudpies i facilities, which primarily serve children ages six weeks to five years, are highly sought after. Known for their Dr. Eric Tomlinson addresses the near-pertect star audience. ratings, highly I qualified staff and utilization of state of the art technology, Mudpies facili ties typically have a waiting list for enrollment. , "We've honed our intellectual capital over the past 42 tears of existence," said Dr. Charlie Shaw, the agency's chief volunteer officer. "...Mudpies are not just babysit ting centers. We are learning centers that foster intellectu al curiosity." The new facility will be an asset to the ever-growing residential population, as well as the thousands who come to the city's center to work, said Dr. Tony Burton m, chief executive officer of Northwest Child Development. "This was in an area where we knew growth was hap pening," Burton said. "1 think this is going to be great for our area, for our children and for society as a whole." * Mayor Allen Joines, who presented a proclamation in honor of the occasion, praised die NWCDC leaders for choosing such a strategic location to erect die 16,000 square-foot center. "It's so important," he said of the project. "We're right here at the juxtaposition of Piedmont Triad Research See Madpies on A3 Local parents reassured in post Sandy Hook world SY LAYLA GARMS rHE CHRONICLE Reverberations of the shots fired at Sandy Hook Elementary are being felt across the ..j ...... J uaiiuu aim aiuuuu 111c world, as citizens struggle to come to grips with the tragedy. The nation's collective sympathies have quickly turned to fears as parents question the safety of their own kids' schools. 1? an email sent to par ents on Sunday - two days after the Newtown tragedy- Superintendent Don Martin sought to allay some of those r lv(U9( See Schools on At JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Photo by uyli farmer Principal of the Year Nora Baker stands outside of Jefferson Elementary School on Tuesday. ART FOR $A1