Opening day all over again at Lee High School

Posted on March 6, 2013 By Editor Junior Residents

Auditorium under renovation

Depending on your perspective, opening day of school can be welcomed or dreaded. Imagine having two opening days in the same school year! But for Dr. Denise Hall, principal, the staff and the 1800 or so students at Robert E. Lee High School, re-opening day on Feb. 4 was a gusty sigh of relief.

After three years of construction, the building which began as a gymnasium, then morphed into a cafeteria now sports a pristine new lobby with new classrooms on the upper floors. “Originally the project was just for renovation of the Engineering Building,” said Dr. Hall. “But then a special bond was issued for a much larger, multi-phase project.”
During the three-year ordeal, some students coped with classes split in half by a lunch period while most had classes in portables for the past two years. Now the cafeteria includes outdoor seating and lunch is offered in two periods. Other renovations include a new library and media center, renovation of the auditorium – still underway – and a courtyard which will feature a round knee-wall fountain to be funded through the sale of commemorative pavers.

All the common areas are on the ground floor, accessible for community use while ensuring the safety of the students in the upper floor classrooms. During class changes, there’s a minimal amount of student traffic through the new lobby, but all can see the Welcome Home banners hanging on the walls, which soon will have trophy cases and closed-circuit televisions for announcements.

“We’re proud of our kids and I’m real proud of the teachers who made this a flawless transition,” concluded Dr. Hall. “We’re proud to be Lee Generals.”