Columbus Municipal School District host groundbreaking ceremony
A historic school in Columbus will be restored through a major renovation
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – A historic school in Columbus will be restored through a major renovation. The Columbus Municipal School District hosted a groundbreaking ceremony at the old Hunt High School.
In February 2019, an EF3 tornado ripped through the campus and it was ruled a total loss.
On June 16, people gathered on this campus to witness the start of a new Hunt Intermediate Academy and museum.
For many, Hunt was just another school, but to those who roamed the halls and made memories in the classrooms, the campus represents history and heritage.
“This is a thrill of a lifetime, to see Hunt being resurrected,” R.E. Hunt Museum and Cultural Center employee Laverne Greene Leech said. “There are so many people here who graduated from this school that had their beginning right here and went on to be doctors and lawyers. Hunt will live, Hunt has made a difference. Hunt was the only high school in Lowndes County for Black people. So we are just overwhelmed today.”
“This is a great day, to see Hunt back and running, and to make it an academy, that’s super great. We all love our dear Hunt High,” said Janie Morgan, 1969 Hunt High Graduate.
Hunt played a pivotal role in the change in Columbus. The school was one of the in the area that allowed African Americans before integration.
“It was the only school for the blacks to attend and it means so much after union academy was transformed into an elementary school,” said Morgan. “Everybody congregated to Hunt. This is a historical place and we have a lot of historical memories. It will also be a part of our legacy for the youth to carry on.”
When the tornado devastated the school five years ago, it may have felt like hope was lost. That hope was restored for future generations that come through the school.
“We received great mentors, and life-changing events happened here,” Columbus Municipal School Board President Telisa Clay Morgan said. “We became little men and women and some of our parents went on, but throughout our families, we can say ‘my aunt went here, my dad went here, my mother went here.’ I went here, my brother went here. I believe in giving back, and our students deserve the best. And if I can pay it forward in any way, I will use what I have and the skills God has allowed me to get to help move forward.”
Hunt Intermediate Academy will be for all sixth-grade students in the Columbus Municipal School District, before entering Columbus Middle School.
For 24/7 news and updates, follow us on Facebook and Twitter
