Greene County breaks ground for new high school, center of unity, pride

SNOW HILL — Greene County leaders broke ground for a new high school on Friday, with many excited about a facility that will carry on a tradition of education, pride and unity from a building that served the community since 1961.

The new Greene Central High School is expected to open in August of 2026 on land directly next to the existing high school on School Road in Snow Hill.

In 2023 the state awarded Greene County Schools $50 million in state lottery funds to build a new high school. In February the state allocated an additional $12 million supplemental grant from Department of Public Instruction funds. That is expected to cover all cost of opening the facility, according to Frank Creech, superintendent of Greene County Schools.

"What's amazing about that is not only will our students walk into a brand new school in August of 2026, that school will be paid for," Creech said to applause from assembled elected officials and staff.

The building was designed by Moseley Architects along with Greene County Schools staff. Barnhill Construction is the construction manager for the project, Creech said.

The Department of Public Instruction received more than 164 grant applications from 72 school districts across the state for lottery funding, said Rep. Chris Humphrey, a Republican who represents Greene, Lenoir and Jones counties. Those applications totaled over $2.4 billion, while only slightly more than $300 million was allocated, he said.

Humphrey said he worked with Sen. Buck Newton, Rep. John Bell, N.C. Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt and others to secure the additional $12 million in funding to account for inflationary costs.

"As we break ground today let us not only celebrate the physical construction of this school but what it represents for this community. Greene Central High School will not be just a building, it will be a center of learning, a cornerstone of progress and a source of pride for generations to come," Humphrey said.

U.S. Rep. Don Davis, a Democrat who represents North Carolina's 1st Congressional District, is a Snow Hill native and Greene Central alumni. He said Friday the new school will stand as a symbol of unity.

"We're here because we know the importance of this high school," Davis said. "It is this high school that brings this community together, even when we've been fighting in it. It's the high school that unites us."

The new facility will include career and technical classrooms, STEM labs, health science labs and an automotive shop with three bays, according to Patrick Greene, Greene Central's principal. The school serves about 800 students.

Once the new school is open, most of the existing building will be demolished for infrastructure like parking lots and community engagement space; facilities like the music auditorium will remain, Greene said.

Greene said that communication will be key as education continues over the next two school years alongside the construction. He said that will include teachers making sure students and parents know where to be and the school's health center still being accessible every day of the week.

Alumnus Tucker Williams, who graduated in 2021 and now studies mechanical engineering at East Carolina University, said he hopes the new facilities will set up students interested in technical fields for success. He said he has a lot of friends who still attend the high school and that they are excited for the new school, albeit a touch nervous with construction nearby.

"This county, it is really big in athletics and it is really exciting to see people come here and learn about mathematics and science and pursue the degree in mechanical engineering that really set me up for that," Williams said.

Ben Brann, head coach of Greene Central's 2024 state champion baseball team, said that it will be different to set foot in the new school after having spent a good portion of his life at the existing facility. His mother, who taught at the school, asked him to make sure he gets a brick from her former classroom.

"It'll be weird for sure and it will definitely be bittersweet," Brann said. "I spent a better amount of my life here at this school with both of my parents working here for 30 years. I've kind of grown up here. I think it will be bittersweet but it will definitely be awesome and definitely be a needed change."