Built to help address explosive growth in Katy ISD’s northwest quadrant, James and Mitzi Cross Elementary has opened its doors at 900 Sunterra Shores in Katy, near the intersection of Clay Road and Bartlett Road. The 48th elementary school to be completed by the district, it was built at an estimated cost of $58,356,952.00, funded by Proposition A of the 2023 bond.

School principal Tamika Holdman said that initial enrollment will be 1,100, although the school has a capacity of 1,386 students. The school’s mascot will be the Cavaliers. The pup is named “Charlie” which also happens to be the name of James Cross’ father.

A display case near the school’s entry will hold items commemorating the namesakes, James and Mitzi Cross. The first floor features a spacious library which Holdman said is very dear to the heart of namesake Mitzi Cross, a former KISD librarian. An “LGI room” for large group instruction and will be used for professional development, Holdman said during an August 8 tour of the facility. Hallways are painted with bright accents of orange and yellow, the school colors, which Holdman said reflect the Sunterra community. The first floor also features a small “volunteer room” for use by parents and auxiliary groups. Every hallway has a teacher planning room for personal planning activities and for collaboration with other teachers. Windows provide visibility into each classroom from the hallway.

Like its sister campus of Boudny Elementary, Cross Elementary is a two-story building with kindergarten, first and second grades on the ground floor and grades 3-5 on the second floor. Elevators serve students with mobility challenges. Cross Elementary also has the same “self-healing” walls that are not damaged by staples and adhesives used in posting of flyers and student artwork.

An administrative suite on the second floor provides additional oversight from an assistant principal, counselor and school psychologist. The fifth grade hallway is larger in order to accommodate students growing in size, and classroom furniture is larger. Holdman said that fifth graders will serve as the school’s ambassadors, welcoming new students to campus.

Holdman said that the campus is the first and only KISD elementary school to have solar panels, a feature that will help with energy costs. The solar field also provides a good opportunity for science students to learn about solar technology, she said.

The 157,000 sq. ft. campus is named for KISD educators James and Mitzi Cross, who retired from the district after more than 30 years of service in education and more than 20 in KISD. James Cross began his career in Levelland, Texas, teaching English and history and serving as an assistant coach. After a stint as assistant principal at Whiteface, Texas, he came to Beck Junior High in KISD in 2002 as assistant principal and then became the principal of Cinco Ranch High School in 2009, retiring in 2022.

Mitzi Cross began as a seventh grade English teacher in Brownfield, with additional time in Roosevelt ISD and Levelland ISD. She came to KISD in 2002 as a fifth grade English/language arts teacher at Alexander

Elementary. She later served as the librarian at Winborn Elementary and at Griffin Elementary. Her brother also served as a teacher and coach at WoodCreek Junior High in KISD.