This past Friday morning, July 30th 2010, was 
filled with excitement and anti- cipation as my middle school twins and I approached the location with all of the hoopla going on. When we got closer you could hear the Watauga Community Band playing favorite tunes, and looking around the crowds of people, there were Policemen everywhere, Firemen with their Fire Truck,
Rescue Squad workers, even Secret Servicemen. “Anybody who is anybody” in Watauga County was there taking in the pomp and circumstance for this special day! It was the day our community had been waiting for…the Grand Opening of the new Watauga High School and Dedication and Ribbon-cutting ceremony.
A dream that began years ago, and now a reality, dignitaries and leaders from all over the High Country, with special keynote speaker, 
Governor Beverly Perdue, were there to participate in “opening a new door in history”. We were handed a Dedication Ceremony Program and while we waited for the Governor to arrive, I took the opportunity to look over the mass of people 
that had gathered for the event and chatted with a few. I spoke to Mr. Marshall Ashcraft, Community Relations Director for Watauga County Schools, and asked what he thought about the new school and what kind of impact this would make. Mr. Ashcraft stated that the new High School would “allow teachers and students to tap into their full potential”. He spoke about the “huge improvements” with this school like the students having laptops, wireless access throughout, and how much energy the school board has put into this. The pride for this accomplishment was evident in his face.
At that moment,Dr. Marty Hemric approached the podium and began with his welcoming remarks, followed by Mr. Lowell Younce, Chairman of the Board of Education, talking
about the “journey from vision to reality”. The Chairman stated how the new school will improve student performance and better prepare students to enter the adult world upon graduation. Mr. Younce spoke about a recurrent theme throughout this process that “It’s Time to Choose” to move forward, followed by “This is History” being made in our county and community.
Next up to speak was Mr. Jim Deal, Chairman of the Watauga County 
Commissioners, who said that this was a “Glorious Day”! Mr. Deal described the benefits of the new school focusing on being “Green” and ecologically efficient. Some of the ways the new high school is “Green”
consists of natural lighting through the massive windows and the positioning of the building, which features the shape of a “W”. Also, solar tubes were installed to help provide better use of that natural light, while geothermal wells capture heat and pump it through the area to maintain a constant temperature. Even the roof gets in on the action by using six 10,000-gallon cisterns to collect rainwater for various water conservation uses. Mr. Deal ended his speech with a Star Trek reference that, “Watauga County should boldly go where no county has gone before”! 
Several more speakers had good words to say and the Golden Leaf Foundation even presented a check to the new high school for $150,000 for “Global Learning and Community Transformation”.
Mr. Michael Wyant, the Principal, proceeded to welcome the teachers, staff, and students to their new school. Mr. Wyant made the comment that, “teachers have been hand-cuffed in preparing students for the real world by the old facility. Now they have access to the 21st century at their fingertips, and are free from limitations that the former school brought on”. This access includes providing each student with a Laptop for use at home and school.
Continuing with the ceremony, at last it was time for the keynote speaker as 
Dr. Hemric introduced the Governor Beverly Perdue. So gracious was she, quickly putting everyone at ease. After congratulating our county and community, the Governor spoke about how she wanted to bring all schools 
into the 21st century and has even initiated an online education system in order to become globally competitive. The Governor thanked our county stating that, “we just get it”! She talked about how we must educate our students in an advanced way with technology because “most students come to school with more technology in their backpacks or bookbags, and if we don’t help them learn, they don’t have the skills to compete”. Governor Perdue then proceeded to thank us for our investment in our children and our future.
As the crowd applauded, the former senior class president, Dylan Russell, and the current senior class president, 
Jesse Nash, sang the school anthem while the leaders gathered for the ribbon –cutting ceremony. In a flash, the Governor and class presidents cut the ribbon and the doors were opened.
Stay tuned for the 2nd part of this series to hear all about our experiences and interviews once we entered the new high school.
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