South Elementary rises on Beltway South, shaped by growth, planning, and community trust
On a stretch of Beltway South where open land once quietly waited, the future of Wylie ISD is taking shape.
Steel beams rise where survey stakes once stood. Walls form where plans once lived on paper. With each passing week, South Elementary is moving from blueprint to reality. This new campus is designed not just to meet growth, but to reflect the values of a community that continues to invest in its schools.
Soon, the sounds of construction will give way to the sounds of learning. First-day nerves. Morning greetings. Laughter on the playground. At the heart of it all will be a leader whose story is deeply rooted in Wylie.
This month, Wylie ISD announced Alison South as the founding principal of South Elementary, the district’s newest campus scheduled to open in fall 2026.
For South, the role represents both a professional milestone and a deeply personal moment shaped by years in classrooms, counseling offices, hallways, and sidelines across the district she chose as home.
A Campus Built With Purpose
Located at 5450 Beltway South, just west of Buffalo Gap Road, South Elementary is designed to serve Kindergarten through fifth grade students living west of Buffalo Gap Road. The nearly 90,000-square-foot campus will include 60 classrooms and will be Wylie ISD’s only school dedicated exclusively to K–5 learners. This allows staff to focus intentionally on the academic, social, and emotional needs of elementary students.
The campus is part of Wylie ISD’s long-range growth plan. It reflects thoughtful planning to meet enrollment growth while keeping schools closer to where families live. District leadership has emphasized that South Elementary will ease overcrowding on west-side campuses and support students well into the next decade.
Superintendent Joey Light shared that the campus represents careful planning guided by community trust.
“South Elementary reflects our responsibility to grow with intention,” Light said. “This campus is about investing in students, supporting families, and creating a place where children feel safe, welcomed, and challenged to reach their full potential.”
Designed With Experience and Safety in Mind
South Elementary’s design draws from the successful layouts of Wylie East Elementary and Wylie East Intermediate. By building on proven designs, the district was able to control costs while making thoughtful improvements based on feedback from staff and administrators who work in those spaces every day.
One of the most significant features of the new campus is safety.
South Elementary will include Wylie ISD’s first storm shelter, housed within a large gymnasium designed to safely accommodate the entire student population. The feature reflects preparedness and peace of mind for families and staff, and it was built into the campus from the very beginning.
Beyond the building itself, South Elementary will also improve traffic flow along Beltway South and reduce congestion at nearby campuses. These benefits will be felt not only during arrival and dismissal, but throughout the surrounding community.
From the Classroom to the Corner Office
For Alison South, leading a new elementary campus is the culmination of a journey that began more than two decades ago and one that always pointed back to Wylie.
A McMurry University graduate, South began her career teaching kindergarten and first grade before returning to her hometown to teach Early Head Start and later fifth grade. When her oldest child turned five, she and her husband made a decision that would shape the next chapter of her life.
“I knew I wanted to raise my kids in Wylie ISD,” South said.
She joined the district during the 2012–2013 school year as a seventh-grade RLA teacher and cheer coach. She later became a counselor at the original Wylie Junior High. In 2017, she helped open Wylie East Junior High alongside Principal Rob Goodenough, serving first as a counselor and later as assistant principal.
Those years, she says, shaped everything she believes about leadership.
“The culture of a school is the most important thing,” South said. “Parents need to feel it. Students need to feel it. Teachers and staff need to feel it. You have to lead with grace, firmness, fairness, and pride.”
A Leader Who Builds Culture
(Principal WEJH, Rob Goodenough)
Goodenough, who worked alongside South for more than a decade, describes her leadership as both rare and deeply impactful.
“Wylie ISD has made an amazing choice by naming Alison South as the new principal of Wylie South Elementary,” Goodenough said. “Mrs. South is a natural born leader and an incredible encourager of people. She is a culture builder and will lead our newest campus with compassion, kindness, and motherly goodness.”
He added that her influence has been felt in ways both large and small.
“She is a champion for those in her charge, and she will guide her new campus with common sense and fairness. I have been lucky enough to experience her one-of-a-kind leadership for the past thirteen years. Get ready, Wylie South Elementary. An incredible leader is headed your way.”
A School That Feels Like Home
When asked what she hopes families feel the moment they walk through South Elementary’s doors, South does not hesitate.
“One word. Home,” she said.
To her, a school should feel welcoming, supportive, and safe. It should be a place where students are held to high expectations and surrounded by encouragement.
“I want families to feel like their children are being loved, pushed to be their best, and treated with kindness and fairness,” she said. “I remember dropping my own babies off at kindergarten. All I wanted was for someone to love them, keep them safe, and help them grow.”
That perspective shapes how she envisions South Elementary from day one.
“I’m excited to lead a team that will create our own culture, our own South Elementary family, and our own community,” she said. “I am ready to make this campus a home.”
Leading With Heart and Standards
(South Elementary Principal, Alison South)
South’s leadership philosophy centers on one guiding question: What is best for students?
She speaks openly about empathy, communication, and continuous growth for herself and for everyone who will walk the halls of South Elementary.
“I want to build a team that supports each other and pushes each other,” she said. “Teachers, support staff, cafeteria workers, custodians, our nurse. Everyone matters. One person cannot do this alone.”
That mindset resonates with district leadership.
“Alison leads with heart and clarity,” Light said. “She understands that strong schools are built on trust, relationships, and shared purpose. She will set a strong foundation for South Elementary and the families it will serve.”
A Community Investment
South Elementary stands as a direct result of the community’s approval of the 2023 Wylie ISD Bond. When voters said yes, they invested in safer schools, smarter growth, and learning environments built with intention.
Every classroom, hallway, and safety feature reflects that trust and the district’s responsibility to honor it through thoughtful planning and transparency.
Looking Ahead
As construction continues and opening day comes into focus, South Elementary is already becoming something more than a building.
It is a promise to growing neighborhoods, to young learners just beginning their educational journey, and to a community that continues to believe in its schools.
For Alison South, that promise comes with joy, humility, and purpose.
“I know there will be challenges,” she said. “But I also know this community and the heart of our staff. We are going to love these kids like our own. We are going to build something special together.”
And if families happen to ask whether the school was named after her, she smiles.
“I may or may not say yes with a big smile.”
Because sometimes, the right leader really does point South, in the right direction.
It’s great to be a Wylie Bulldog.