Historic first day for EHS students

Vehicles arrived early Monday morning, filling up the nearly 1,600 parking spaces in 10 to 15 minutes before the historic first bell rang to begin a new era for Enterprise High School students.

On Monday  as1,540 students in the 10th, 11th and 12th grades began classes in the new EHS, senior Emily Heick said it was “great to go to a new high school” where everyone can be together.

“It’s going to be so much better than it was before,” she said. “We’re not going back to the trailers, and that’s great since this is our senior year and we’ve got a total new school.”
Senior Tabiaz Jones, with a backpack in hand, said she is proud to be part of the first class that will graduate from the new high school.

“We’ll graduate and be the very first class here to say we were the first. That’s something we can be proud of,” she said. Junior Mac Hendricks said, “I know it’s going to be an amazing year at an amazing school. I’m looking forward to it.”

Senior Ashley Johnson said she had a somewhat different reason to enjoy the new school.
“I feel safer going here,” she said. “I know that if a tornado or bad weather happens, we won’t have to be worried about getting out in the rain or a tornado ripping a trailer apart. I do feel safe here.”

Most seniors who walked into their school for the first time were smiling as they walked on the new sidewalks, some of them staring at the large building.

Senior Dalton Buxton said, “it is amazing to be going to a school like this,” while fellow classmate, senior Frank Barbaree, said while visiting the new school for the first time on Saturday, “it’s really big and everyone will have to find their way around for awhile, but it is really nice. I think people will have more pride in their school now.”

A 2009 graduate, Shawn Barnes, was standing watch over  the 1965 Wildcat tile, a tradition in EHS for 41 years.

“I’m telling students that it is a tradition not to step on the Wildcat,” he said as he directed sophomores and new students around the Wildcat emblem inlaid in the school floor as it was at the tornado-destroyed former EHS 

“I’m here because I wanted to assist in any way I could and I’m telling the students who don’t know, why we don’t step on the Wildcat. I’m proud of Enterprise High School and not just because of the new school, but because being a Wildcat means having that special pride. I want these sophomores who are coming today to experience that pride in this school.”

Retired teacher Deborah James also was experiencing the first day at the new EHS.

“I graduated from Enterprise High School in 1969 and retired from EHS in 2003. I now work with homebound students and I volunteered to help Kathy Rakestraw in guidance over the past week. I’ve been watching the Wildcat tile too, because it was donated by my husband Joe James’ class in 1965. Superintendent Jim Reese also graduated in 1965 and was a part of the class,” she said.

“This tile represents that Wildcat pride we have in Enterprise High School. Even President George Bush was told not to step on this tile and we’re watching it closely today to let the students know to never step on it. It’s been a tradition since 1965 and it forever will be a matter of pride for students here.”