Lee students invited to purchase bricks

LEESBURG, Ga. — Students who at one time attended the historic school building that now houses the Lee County School System’s Ninth Grade Campus at 370 Leslie Highway still have an opportunity to leave their own lasting mark on the campus

A unique fundraiser, designed to celebrate the oldest school now in service in the Lee school system, will wind down at the end of this school year. The school’s Historic Brick Project allows students past and present to purchase a decorative engraved brick for $25 that will become part of a patio that will be utilized by students for generations to come.

Ninth Grade Campus paraprofessional Rachel Russell is heading up the project.

“I was trying to come up with a fundraiser that would have meaning to everyone who is a part of the history of this school,” Russell said. “I’d seen the commemorative bricks used at Chehaw, and so I started doing some research.

“I saw this as a way to honor all the various students and faculty who have been a part of the school over the years in all its many uses.”

The newly remodeled 9th Grade Campus opened in August of 2008 to help alleviate crowded conditions at rapidly growing Lee County High School. But the school’s history goes all the way back to 1955 when the campus was known as the Lee County Training School. It served the county’s school-aged African-American population until desegregation was ordered in the county in 1970.

With the reorganization of the county’s integrated school system, the Leslie Highway campus became the Upper Elementary School, housing students in grades 4-8. By 1977, a relatively small growth spurt in the county led to the construction of a larger high school. The Upper Elementary School became home to fifth- through eighth-graders for the next decade.

In 1981, a library and band room were added to the campus, and in 1986 the facility became Lee Middle School and housed seventh and eighth grades.

With the population explosion that hit Lee County in the 1990s just getting started, the current Lee High School was completed in 1992.

The Leslie Highway campus was once again transformed, this time to Twin Oaks Elementary, which served grades 3-6 for the next 15 years.

The 9th Grade Campus, complete with a multimillion-dollar makeover, sprang to life in 2008 and is in its third year.

“There’s a great deal of history at this school,” 9th Grade Campus Principal Jamie Horne said. “We’ve all gotten on board with the (Historic Bricks) project because it offers everyone who’s ever been to school here an opportunity to be a visible part of the school’s history.

“We haven’t made a decision yet where we’re going to use the bricks; our maintenance folks will make sure they’re in an appropriate place. So everyone still has time to get involved and be a part of the project.”

Russell said there are a number of options being considered for placement of the commemorative bricks, which will include the name of the school attended by the person purchasing the brick, that person’s name and the years he or she attended the school. Also included are school mascots from the years the person purchasing the brick attended the school.

“We’re considering a small patio with maybe some benches in front of the campus,” Russell said. “It’s also been suggested that we use administrators’ and teachers’ bricks around the flagpole. We could even line the sidewalks if enough are purchased.

“We’ve been doing this for a while now, but we’ve set a deadline now. At the end of this school year, we will go ahead and order the bricks. That way we’ll be able to have them installed by the start of the next school year.”

Persons interested in purchasing a commemorative brick may do so in person or via mail (370 Leslie Highway, Leesburg 31763) at the Ninth Grade Campus. Questions may be directed to Russell by calling (229) 903-3590 or by e-mail to [email protected].