By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
It isn’t happening today, or even next year, but the consolidation of Carter County’s high schools took another step towards that inevitable end with a groundbreaking ceremony on the Friday (November 22) before the school district’s Thanksgiving break. School staff and administrators, board of education members, elected officials, and students from each of the current high schools joined project engineers and construction crews, braving the cold to celebrate the construction of new facilities that won’t see completion until after most of the students gathered for the event have graduated.
However, that didn’t stop any of them from being excited about what the future holds for their siblings, cousins, and even their own children someday.
West Carter senior Dwaylon Dean opened the ceremony, thanking the district, “for allowing us to be a part of this new era, where both sides of our county come together as one, to create a better community for our upcoming generations.”
“After much deliberation from our fellow students, teachers, and community leaders,” Dean continued, “we can all agree that the opportunity provided by this consolidation will be incomparable in the future… (T)his high school will be more than a building – it will be a hub of innovation, collaboration, and excellence.”
It was a sentiment echoed by one of Dean’s cross-county rivals on the football field, East Carter senior Gerrit Bellew.
“For as long as I can remember, West Carter has been our rival on the football field, and both teams have fought fiercely against each other to claim bragging rights for a barrel,” Bellew noted. “But when I was a young man, I used to dream about how good we could be at sports if the two schools combined, and now that dream is about to become a reality.”
“Although I won’t get to be a part of this united team, perhaps one day I will have children who will, and I’m excited to see what the future holds for Carter County sports.”
Junior Brooklyn Braun said that despite that history of competition, she’s confident that the student bodies will be able to merge and build new friendships, noting the friendships she and others have already forged with cheerleaders from other school districts through their shared love of the sport.
“While this process may seem daunting, I’m confident the two teams will quickly become friends, because they will have being from Carter County in common.”
“Let’s let the motto of the Commonwealth of Kentucky be our motto as we move forward in this endeavor,” she said. “United we stand. Divided we fall.”
Despite these words of optimism, the students and administration understand there is still some skepticism about the planned merger. West Carter senior Addyson Liles spoke to those concerns in her remarks.
“I know there have been many opinions spoken on the topic of consolidation, but this change will ultimately make a positive difference in the education in Carter County,” Liles said.
She spoke to the challengers currently facing West Carter students like herself who enjoy extracurricular activities other than sports, and how the new high school can solve those issues for future generations.
“I’m part of the multimedia department at West Carter, and while we have some pieces of new equipment, we know that this consolidation will increase the ability to provide even more cutting-edge equipment for one school, instead of two,” she said. “Our current studio is a very small room, that is limited to editing a few projects at once, because we only have one computer set up for editing. Once the schools are consolidated, we will have many opportunities for improved programs; not only for multimedia, but also every other department.”
“The opportunities will be endless,” she continued, “for all students to discover their own interests, and take action to pursue their dreams in a wide range of career pathways.”
This includes expanded trades education at the new career tech facility.
West Carter senior Eric Barker emphasized this during the final student remarks.
“This new high school will be symbolic of what our goals are… The new CTE programs, alongside the new technological advancements, will place our students at the forefront of our region.”
“There will no longer be East vs West in our athletic, or academic, facilities,” Barker continued. “However,… a once divided community (will be) brought together in one building with each student having the best opportunities possible for furthering their education.”
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
Student leaders break ground at the location of the new high school facility in Gregoryville. (Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times) 
Student leaders break ground at the location of the new high school facility in Gregoryville. (Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times) 
Student leaders break ground at the location of the new high school facility in Gregoryville. (Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times) 
Student leaders break ground at the location of the new high school facility in Gregoryville. (Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times)
