‘Expectations of excellence’: New West Charlotte HS filled with nostalgia and Lion Pride

CHARLOTTE — The hallways are empty. The lockers are untouched and the classrooms are quiet.

But the $106 million building is filled with anticipation as West Charlotte High School welcomes its first class inside the new state-of-the art high school.

“Over 83 years of legacy in the community,” Principal Orlando Robinson said. “So it is a new building but it is not a new West Charlotte.”

You can see those decades of legacy throughout the building. At the main entrance, there is a mural documenting the school’s storied history. The auxiliary gym has a scoreboard from the old gym. A “W-C” stained-glass display is prominent in the culinary room.

“If you walk the halls, you will see a lot of artifacts that came from the old building,” Robinson said.

When the school opens Monday, it will have enhanced security. There will now only be one point of entry to the school.

“There will be a main point of entry and exit for visitors and students who arrive, as opposed to the former West Charlotte campus that had multiple buildings, multiple points of entry,” Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Chief Operations Officer Brian Vaughn said.

Once students step inside, they will be wowed by what they see, including a huge swimming pool, theater fit for prime time, gym ready for packed basketball games, a culinary classroom that would make a master chef envious and a cosmetology classroom that looks as good as the haircuts that will happen in there.

West Charlotte’s legacy is strong and Lion Pride remains.

“We are moving towards expectations of excellence,” Robinson said.

The school also has a new football field. The school hopes to use it for two home games this year. The current holdup is a lack of parking.

West Charlotte is planning alumni events for former students to tour the building.

(VIDEO: New chapter for West Charlotte High School)

New chapter for West Charlotte High School

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