ROBESON COUNTY – Local, school district, county and community officials gathered on Saturday for ribbon-cutting ceremonies to celebrate the addition of new multipurpose classroom buildings at Purnell Swett High School and St. Pauls High School. Due to cold weather conditions, the events were held indoors.
The new 17,500-square-foot buildings are designed to provide additional classroom space for health and physical education classes. Each facility includes multiple classrooms, offering versatile spaces to meet the needs of growing student populations while supporting academic programming and various school activities on both campuses.
The ribbon-cutting at Purnell Swett High School (PSHS) took place at 9 a.m., drawing a large crowd of community members. Students toured the facility with excitement.
Tenth grader and football player Samuel Cummings expressed his enthusiasm about using the new building for weightlifting, while fellow 10th grader Jala Hunt said she was proud of the new space.
“I think everybody that will come in here will like it,” Hunt said. “I’m pretty excited about it.”
PSHS Principal Clyde Leviner described the building as the “cornerstone of our physical education and health programs.”
“This facility is truly the first of its kind and is well deserved for our school community. We look forward to making great memories and achieving incredible milestones in this new facility,” the principal added.
Public Schools of Robeson County (PSRC) Superintendent Dr. Freddie Williamson also addressed attendees, emphasizing the significance of the new building for both athletics and instruction.
“This is a multipurpose facility. As you walk through this facility, please think about the impact of facilities on teaching and learning,” Dr. Williamson said. “We have to understand as leaders that the future is now. You are sitting in the future right now.”
PSHS Athletic Director Robert McLean thanked coaches for their work each day and encouraged student-athletes to take pride in the new space.
“This is your home now—take pride in it,” he said.
PSRC Board of Education member Craig Lowry echoed the sentiment, saying, “Our students deserve the best of the best.”
During the PSHS ceremony, Elliot Lowry, president of the school’s booster club, presented a plaque to Bill James Brewington, President of Pembroke Jaycees and former PSHS principal, in recognition of the club’s generous donation to the booster club. The plaque bearing the name of the organization, will hang in the coaches’ room in the building.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony at St. Pauls High School was held at 11 a.m. and highlighted similar excitement for the new infrastructure.
“I’m just blown away to stand here infront you you today,” SPHS Principal Jason Suggs said.
“Your expectation that you have, multiply it by ten that’s where we are at,” he added.
Suggs spoke of the benefit for student-athletes and for students who will use the building for classroom spaces.
“This is something for everybody to enjoy,” he said.
As the curtains were drawn and the ribbon was cut, community members and local and county commissioners toured the facility with smiles sharing words of gratitude for the building addition on campus.
“We are long overdue in Robeson County,” Dr. Williamson said of new infrastructure in the county’s school system. “We’re just getting started.”
These events marked the culmination of months of planning, construction, and dedication to improving educational infrastructure in Robeson County.
For photos and video footage of the St. Pauls High Ribbon Cutting Ceremony click here. For photos of the Purnell Swett High Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, click here.