A large crowd of teachers and preteen students turned out to christen
the newly overhauled Halifax County Middle School. Built in the early
1950s to combine all of the countyís small whites-only public high
schools, the structure had seen few changes until two years ago when
the remodeling began.
With all 140,000 existing square feet overhauled and a
57,000-square-foot additional wing welcoming the sixth grade (formerly
dispersed among the countyís elementaries) the school is only faintly
recognizable from its early photos.
ìThis is a red-letter day,î said Deputy Superintendent Larry Clark, who
praised the facility as a ìphysical indication of this countyís
commitment to the future.î
ìAnd the future will be here Monday morning,î he added in reference to
the first day of school.
ìWhen you drive down [Route] 501 and see this building, you see
progress,î Clark said.
School Board Chairman D.H. McDowell Jr. quoted childrenís TV icon Mr.
Rogers: ìItís a great day in the neighborhood,î said the father of two
grown children.
Congressman Virgil Goode said he first came to the site in 1965 when
his team, Franklin County High, arrived for a scrimmage with Halifax. 
(They lost.)
He said it was important that children be prepared to be ìmore
competitive than ever, for jobs, progress and business.î
State Sen. Frank Ruff of Mecklenburg praised the school and said ìMore
important than the buildings are the people in them,î adding. ìThat
interaction is an important part of education.î
ìIf this doesnít make students want to come to school, I donít know
what does,î said Alicia Roberts, a 2002 local high school graduate now
the special assistant to the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
At the end of the speeches, dignitaries cut a ribbon in the school
colors of orange and blue.
Also in the ceremony:
ï†School Trustee Sandra Rister urged the students to ìbe as strong as
these lions,î pointing to the podiumís stuffed animals, the school
mascot.
ï†Supervisors Chairman William Fitzgerald called it a ìhistory-making
day for Halifax County.î
ï Paul Stapleton, the schools chief, said it was the best renovation
heíd ever seen, and pointed to the library as an example of the good
work.
ìIt was kind of dark and looked like a dungeon,î he said. Now itís
bright, airy and inviting. He also singled out the Smart Lab (which
affords contact with aviation, robotics and communication), the ìtruly
modern, working science labsî and even the landscaping.
ìYou will not see ëtrailer cityí behind the Middle School,î Stapleton
crowed, noting that no regular classes will be held in any mobile unit
anywhere in the county.
ìEvery generation is judged by what you do for future generations,î he
said.
ï Blair Construction of Danville was noted as the contractor for the
job and George Brennan was congratulated as job supervisor.
ï†The Rev. Charles Sands gave the invocation.
ï†VFW Post 8243 donated the American flag, which was raised by the high
schoolís JROTC.
ï†Eighth grader Matthew Ballou and seventh grader Elisabeth Brogden led
the Pledge of Allegiance.
After the ribbon-cutting, visitors poured inside, where Principal Gail
Bosiger showed off the huge emblem in the lobbyís floor designed by
Dewberry & Davisí Dodie Hudson, a local woman. It features symbols of
science, technology, a stack of books and a lion.
ìIt all comes together right here,î she told dignitaries.
Students and parents there for open house walked around with schedules
in hand.
ìItís pretty,î said Rosa Hunt, there with son Damien, a seventh grader.
Down in the schoolís basement, thereís still work to do, with a piano
and old chairs lining the halls.
Still, ìItís looking nice,î said eighth grader Brittany Rice, who lived
through last yearís noisy construction.
All of the countyís public school students in grades 6, 7 and 8 will
attend there.
About 1,450 students will report to class on Monday, 500 of them sixth
graders.