There were more than a dozen shovels and matching hard hats, numerous yellow tee shirts that read, “Please excuse our progress,” and under the breezeway, rows of chairs that were soon filled with Chapel Hill High School teachers, students, parents, CHCCS administrators, school board members and county commissioners, among others. Not bad for a drizzly Tuesday morning at 8 o’clock.June 12 was the official groundbreaking ceremony for the major reconstruction of Chapel Hill High School, which has been anticipated for years - and the commitment to the expense and undertaking has been debated in countless forums and meetings. So the physical reality of turning the earth with all those shovels carried a powerful symbolism.
The speakers at the event were: outgoing Principal Sulura Jackson; Superintendent Dr. Pam Baldwin; veteran History Teacher Bill Melega; CHCCS Board Chair Rani Dasi; CHHS PTSA President, Kirsten Barker; President of the Lincoln High School-Northside Alumni Association David Mason; Board of County Commissioners Chair Mark Dorosin; Aaron Nelson, president of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce; and Jessica Schinsky, a rising junior at CHHS .
Jackson reminded the audience that she still has 17 more days as principal before she takes on a new role as CHHS Construction Manager. She said, “I’m looking forward to moving into the twenty-first century.”
Melega, who has taught students for more than 20 years at CHHS, said, “Goodbye to D building - you were a great ship. Like the Six Million Dollar Man, we hope our new school will be bigger, faster and stronger.”
Barker reminded the teachers and students that the two years ahead will present new challenges of upheaval and transition, but she encouraged everyone to consider the time at CHHS a “resilience learning lab,” to grow and strengthen from the experience.
Mason also called for the CHHS family and local residents to rise to the occasion. “Treat every student as if they have the potential to change the world. It is my prayer that we work together as a community and never forget from where we came.”
Schinsky enumerated some of the aspects of the old buildings that she won’t miss, like the “weird smells.” But she spoke with affection of her experience at the school. “It’s the place where I’ve discovered who I want to be.”
Construction on the new CHHS campus will be complete in 2020. For details about all the new features CHHS will have, please visit the CHHS Construction website and be sure to check in often, as the committee will have updates throughout the building process.
