COVINGTON, Ga. — Aug. 1, 2022, will be a monumental day for the Newton County School System. Not only will it begin a brand new school year, but Eastside will officially open the doors to its new building.
NCSS Superintendent Samantha Fuhrey told The News how she looks forward the Eastside beginning this new chapter in its school history.
“We are incredibly excited that the replacement Eastside High School will be ready to receive students this school year,” Fuhrey said. “The Eastside and Operations teams have been working all summer to make sure everything is ready for the start of school, which is August 1.”
Eastside originally opened its doors in the fall of 1994 and was set at 10245 Eagle Drive in Covington. Now, it will be located on 107 acres at 140 Hwy 142 in Covington.
Michael Barr, NCSS’ Chief Operating Officer, highlighted how the process of moving Eastside from one building to another has been a “team effort.”
“It takes a team effort to construct a new school,” Barr said. “It requires much planning, collaboration, and cooperation. I am grateful to everyone who supported this process. With the building essentially complete, the school system’s operations team has been busy moving equipment and materials into the new school. We are looking forward to welcoming students and staff to this new facility for the 2022-2023 school year.”
The new building will accommodate 1,650 students and the hallways will be divided into different “zones.”
Each zone will be designated to a specific subject area such as English and Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, Science and Career, Technical, Agricultural Education (CTAE) classes.
A new auditorium, gymnasium, band area, cafeteria and kitchen area and a learning commons is included in the building’s amenities as well. With the new building having two floors, elevators and stairs are also a part of the building’s layout.
Students and parents will have a chance to see the new building for the first time during Eastside’s open house set to take place on July 28 from 5-7 p.m.
Fuhrey said that Eastside’s new building opening is a “testament to the impact of the Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (E-SPLOST).”
“Using E-SPLOST funding takes the capital improvement burden off of property owners and distributes it to anyone and everyone who buys goods in our community,” Fuhrey said. “The fact that we were able to completely use E-SPLOST funds to construct this new school shows that every penny counts.”
Fuhrey expressed her gratitude to the Newton County community and their commitment to help make Eastside’s new building possible.
“Thank you Newton County community for supporting our schools and school system,” Fuhrey said. “Without your commitment, things like this would not be possible. I sincerely hope that our students, families, and community are proud of our beautiful facility.”
