Last new pupils head to old school
Evans Middle School welcomes pupils for a new school year for the last time today.
B.J. Petty, a teacher apprentice (left), and Lorraine Hall examine their new teaching materials at Evans Middle School.
Photo by Jim Blaylock
A new Evans Middle is under construction on Hereford Farm Road and is scheduled to open August 2006. The current building, at the corner of Washington and Belair roads, will be torn down to make way for a shopping center.
"I've heard mixed emotions," said Michael Johnson, the principal of Evans Middle, about the impending move. "Some are really excited to get into a new state-of-the-art facility."
Still, Johnson said it will be difficult for many of the school's faculty to leave behind a building that has stood since the 1950s on a campus that has existed since the 1920s.
"Some of the veteran teachers that have been here 20 years are excited about the new school, but they kind of hate to see the old building get torn down. Some wish they could save the building."
Although the building can't be saved, Johnson said a piece of the campus might be transplanted to the new campus. The only surviving remnants of the original campus that burned down in the 1950s - six stone pillars and a stone arch - could be relocated.
"They're looking at possibly moving those pillars to the new site," Johnson said. "I think it would be a great entry into the school. I'm sure a committee would have to decide where to place them.
"My teachers would like to take some of the history with them, if possible."
Back to School 2005
Visit our special Back to School section for everything you need to know about the upcoming school year - including bus routes, school events, menus and a guide to Columbia County Schools.