Page High parents are not waiting for millions in bond money to spruce up the school.
A group of parents said they plan to embark on a $1 million fundraising mission for the school, and they already have invested some sweat equity. Volunteers repainted every hallway in the building and some of the high school’s façade.
“Chipping paint sends a bad message,” parent Adam Duggins said.
Duggins said work to beautify the school began in May and continued throughout the summer.
“We had a week of service in June,” Duggins said. “I think we’ve probably had about 3,500 volunteer hours since May 1.”
In addition to painting, school volunteers trimmed the shrubs around the school and cleared trees from an outdoor courtyard.
“We took out probably, gosh, 15 trees,” Duggins said. “I had a kid that didn’t even really realize this space was there.”
The benches in the courtyard were also painted, and volunteers mulched the area.
Duggins said clearing the trees paid off in more than one way.
“All the teachers have said it’s nice to have a lot more light,” Duggins said. “There was no light coming in from here. There was just massive, massive trees.”
Page volunteers also removed all the lockers from the hallways to create more space.
“No student at Page uses a locker. Probably no one in Guilford County uses a locker,” Duggins said.
The parents also installed a large sign at the school’s entrance. “We just want people to feel welcome here and take pride in it,” Duggins said.
The parents said the $1 million fundraiser will build a new student union for students to eat and lounge.
“We’ve never done a real capital campaign,” Duggins said. “Every charter and private school in the area does this. We should be able to do it as a public school. And there’s been some models that we’re going to follow that are similar in Raleigh and Charlotte.”
Upgrades ahead for Page High
Guilford County Schools will be spending a total of $7.3 million for repairs and renovations to the high school, according to school officials.
The to-do list includes repairs to Page’s auditorium, bathrooms, roof, and HVAC in the media center. The school’s parking lot soon will have new lights, and a new track is planned.
The upgrades are funded by $2 billion in bonds approved by Guilford County voters in 2020 and 2022.
Plans for new Page High shelved
Initially, Guilford County Schools planned to use the bond money on 50 projects, including a new Page High School. However, after construction costs increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, the school system had to recalibrate its priority list. The number of projects was nearly halved.
Page parents were not happy.
They raised concerns about a leaky roof and HVAC issues to the school system’s elected leaders.
Auditorium renovation
Among the school system-funded projects slated to begin at Page this year, Principal Erik Naglee said he was most excited about renovating the auditorium, which has been shut down for a few years.
“We’ll be back having our normal stuff, whether it be a band or orchestra event, whether it’s a school play, all those types of things,” Naglee said.
He added that Page is forced to use the school gym to assemble during freshman orientation. Naglee said the auditorium will provide a great place for the school’s larger events.
Duggins agreed.
He said having an auditorium would be a good gift for seniors.
“The current senior class has never really been in it, and so it will be kind of a nice parting gift for them that the spring of their senior year they’ll get to use it again,” Duggins said.
Crowded cafeteria
One of the common complaints brought by students at Page to the school board last year was a crowded cafeteria. That’s a problem that Duggins said he believes the construction of the new student union in the library will help alleviate.
“This will be a place that kids can eat,” Duggins said. “It will be a place where classes can come, and it’ll be a place where kids can hang out.”
Of the $1 million parents are trying to raise through the capital campaign, $500,000 would go toward building the student union. The remaining money would be used to create a new computer lab, remove additional lockers and clear out more courtyard space outdoors.
Jesse Poole has a son at Page. He said the capital campaign would also cover any potential funding gaps that arise.
“It’ll also be a revolving fund to bridge the maintenance gap,” Poole said.
Duggins said he was glad the Page community and school system could collaborate to find a resolution.
“The community was angry, right?” Duggins said. “ I think what’s been pretty inspiring is people have stepped up, and people have tried to find the little and the big things that we can do to make this place better.”
camdyn.bruce@greensboro.com
336-373-7094
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