Home, at last. New Enterprise High School opens

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Series of photos taken during the first day of classes in the newly constructed Enterprise High School on Monday morning.
Series of photos taken during the first day of classes in the newly constructed Enterprise High School on Monday morning. Credit: Jay Hare / jhare@dothaneagle.com
Students at Enterprise High School walk between classes during their first day of school in the newly constructed high school on Monday morning. Credit: Jay Hare / jhare@dothaneagle.com
Jay Hare / jhare@dothaneagle.com Credit: Jay Hare / jhare@dothaneagle.com
Jay Hare / jhare@dothaneagle.com Credit: Jay Hare / jhare@dothaneagle.com
Jay Hare / jhare@dothaneagle.com Credit: Jay Hare / jhare@dothaneagle.com
Enterprise High School. Credit: File photo

By: Jim Cook | Dothan Eagle
Published: August 23, 2010

ENTERPRISE -- School districts don't often get to build new high schools, but when they do, it pays to swing for the fences.

Enterprise City Schools officials feel they've hit a home run with the new Enterprise High School.

"You only get one chance to do something right, and hopefully we've done that here," said Rick Rainer, Enterprise High principal.

The $89 million facility opened to students Monday for the city schools' first day of classes. The old Enterprise High School was destroyed in a deadly tornado in 2007 that claimed the lives of eight students. Since then, the school has been located in temporary facilities at Enterprise State Community College.

Rainer said he was grateful to ESCC for the temporary facilities, but was glad to have his own school again.

"There is nothing I miss about a portable classroom," he said.

The new school is a 525,000-square-foot facility. It has more than 100 classrooms, each equipped with an LCD monitor and projector. The school also has about 10 science labs and three distance learning labs.

Rainer said the school was built with expansion in mind, and has plenty of room to add additional classrooms as needed. The school's enrollment is currently around 1,540.

Choir teacher Bob Baker has taught in the city schools for more than 20 years. He was away on a trip when the 2007 tornado struck, but his children were there.

"It's a horrifying call to get, that there's been a storm, the school has been destroyed and your two children are hurt," he said.

Baker's children survived the tornado and are now in college, and Baker thinks the new school has helped the school community heal from the tornado.

"We really didn't have a home," he said. "We tried to do our best to keep the mission, but it was tough."

The new Enterprise High School carries a part of the heart of the old school. At the insistence of former President George Bush, who visited the school after the tornado, the Wildcat mosaic tile at the old school was preserved and moved to the new school.

Ashley Smith, a 10th-grader, said she was glad the Wildcat was incorporated into the new school.

"It keeps some ties from the old school and makes it more like a home than a house," she said.

Carolyn Watson, a 10th-grader, was a bit overwhelmed by the size of the school.

"It's really big, and really hard to find my classes, but people are friendly, so I don't get lost."

At least one student was nostalgic for the portable classrooms, however. Randy Smith, a senior, said students had more freedom and break time at the temporary campus.

"It's a nice school, but I'd rather have the trailers," he said.

Home, at last. New Enterprise High School opens

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