News-Record.com

Work is nearing completion at Eastern Guilford High School as the school marks the second anniversary this month of the fire that destroyed nearly the entire school. To remember the occasion the school unveiled its new crest and took the public on a tour of the new school.

The crest - colored in blue and gold - features symbols representing Eastern's dedication to science, the arts and athletics as well as the pursuit of knowledge. The crest also features the years 1974, the year the school first opened, and 2009, the year the school will reopen.

The first day of class in the new school is set for April 20, the day students will return from Spring Break. School officials said construction is on schedule and on budget and should be completed by late February.

Move in preparation has already begun and will continue as the big date gets closer. Superintendent Maurice "Mo" Green said he questioned disrupting teachers and students to move them into the new building for less than two months of the school year when he was first apprised of the Eastern situation. Green said he floated the idea of opening the new high school at the beginning of the next academic year. Then he heard from the school's community.

"This family, this community, has experienced a devastating event and want to get back to normal as soon as possible," Green said. "I did not get in the way of that decision."

There are already big plans underway for the school. The prom will be held in the school's central atrium which is lit by a massive skylight.

Sunlight is piped into every classroom, all of which will also have a projector operated by a computer tied into the school-wide network. Other amenities include two gyms, an open air cafeteria, auditorium and a cybercafé.

Eastern Principal Travis Reeves likened the school's design to a familiar teenage hangout.

"I think the architect initially made it look like a mall because that's where kids are comfortable," he said.

The school will also remember its former incarnation on opening day. Reeves said the flag that was outside the school on the night of the fire will be raised and then retired.

The school is budgeted for $61 million, with $45 million approved in a bond referendum this year. The building is 270,000 square-feet with a classroom capacity of 1,200. The design is almost identical to Northern High.