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[Monday, January 5, 2009 will be opening day at the brand new Topsail High School. The community attended a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, January 2 to tour the new state of the art high school.]

Submitted by WWAY on 2 January 2009 - 5:53pm

Bright and early Monday morning, students in Pender County will be returning to school. Some will be leaving the old Topsail High School behind and moving into a new state of the art facility. 

Over the holiday break, school officials were busy preparing for move in day. Cramped classrooms and crowded halls are now a thing of the past.

"The old school had a lot of flaws, so it was also hard for us to concentrate on our work," said Topsail freshman, Jared Bogan.

Monet Hardison, a Topsail senior said, "At the old school everything was so crowded, so things will just be a lot better."

With the cut of a ribbon, the home of the Pirates is now officially open for students. The new Topsail High School is now equipped to handle all 1,050 students who use to be housed in a school meant for about 400. School officials said more than seventy classrooms with updated technology will provide the resources students need to succeed.

Topsail High Principal, Marcus Skipper said, "We were just totally overcrowded and with that you can't give the students the quality of education they deserve. So we feel like the space is going to enhance the culture, and when that is enhanced we know student achieve will go through the roof."

"This school will last fifty years, plus. We are going to take good care of it and it will be at capacity in a few years and we will look to build more schools but it will be here a long, long time," added Pender County Superintendent, Allison Sholar.

The two story building is so large that the challenge students will face on opening day will be getting to class on time. Luckily, they've all got maps to help them out.

The old Topsail High School will become the new Topsail Middle School. Renovations on the school are scheduled to begin in February. In turn, the middle school will become the new Topsail Elementary School.

How lucky are our children here in Hampstead to have a brand new, state of the art high school! One of the first in the state of North Carolina. It is no wonder so many families are moving here...the award winning schools and the dedication to education! The community, students and faculty are very excited for opening day. Stay tuned for information on the redistricting plans for the 3 elementary schools once the middle school is done with its' renovations.

Christina