Peter McElwain Namesake for Katy Independent School District
KATY [February 24, 2020] – To walk the halls of Katy Independent School District’s Elementary #43 will hold a special significance for former District Architect Peter McElwain. Not only was he the visionary leader in the school’s prototype, but now the state-of-the-art building will carry his name. Katy ISD Board of Trustees made the official announcement during tonight’s meeting. The school is set to open just in time for the upcoming 2020-2021 school year and is located in the northeast quadrant of the District, in the Elyson subdivision.
McElwain joined Katy ISD in 1998, assuming responsibility for all facility planning, design, construction, property acquisition, maintenance, operations and energy management. At the time, the District had a student enrollment of 28,000 students and was on the verge of tremendous population growth. While with the District, McElwain hired and worked with a talented team to plan, design and construct 25 elementary schools, nine junior highs and six high schools. The group also managed comprehensive renovations at multiple schools, additions at existing campuses and the opening of several support and administrative facilities. McElwain has expressed that his design goals included ensuring that students would prepare for their futures in facilities that provided progressive and innovative learning environments.
Katy ISD campus and facility projects created and developed under McElwain’s leadership regularly received recognition and design-related awards from organizations, such as the Texas Association of School Administrators and the Texas Association of School Boards. He was also a recipient of the 2016 “People of the Year Award” by a local media outlet and was named “Citizen of the Year” in 2017 by the Katy Area Chamber of Commerce.
After a 30-year career, McElwain retired from Katy ISD in 2017. At the time, the District had an enrollment of 75,000 students. Now in retirement, he continues to support student learning and has written, illustrated and published two children’s books.
McElwain was born in Philadelphia and raised in Toronto, but considers himself a Texan with deep Katy roots. He graduated with a degree in Architecture from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada in 1978. He and his wife, Darlene, have one daughter who is a Katy ISD graduate.